Harry Potter and the Marauders' Tower
by Ebil
Summary: postOotP, independant!harry At the beginning of the summer after 5th year, Harry receives three letters that change the course of the Wizarding World and Harry's life.
1. Three Letters

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything, not making money off of it, etc.

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**Chapter 1: Three Letters**

He had been there for twelve hours, thirty-three minutes and fifty-four... no make that fifty-five seconds. The raven haired boy sighed and put the watch down before going back to his thoughts. His thoughts were mainly on Sirius. It was just so unfair to his mind, there was no closure, nothing that proved without a doubt that Sirius was dead. It seemed like any second now it felt like Sirius could come through and tell him that he was alive. Which also meant that every second seemed to mock him and torture him with the uncertainty. He rolled to his side and clutched his pillow, both wanting to hug it and rip it to shreds, but in the end hanging on to it for dear life. After another hour of depressing thoughts, he drifted off to sleep.

His dreams started out decently enough with being chased through a pink Forbidden Forest by little bunnies with blue twinkling eyes while Ron, who sounded like Malfoy, made comments about the prophecy and Trelawney predicting his long life. Okay, so it was just plain weird, not that Harry would remember it in the morning anyways. After a few dream cycles in his personal Wonderland, his dreams took a slightly darker turn. Gone was the insanity and it was replaced by the now normal setting of Voldemort's lair.

_Looking around the room, he noticed that a few things had changed since his last visit to the area. First and foremost was that instead of screaming of neglect, the room was showing signs of wealth and comfort. The next thing he noticed was that there was somebody talking to him._

_'...ord, Severus has finished brewing the potion you requested...'_

_The mask figure was trembling as he spoke these words and he saw his own arm lift his wand and hissed out the word 'Crucio'. He watched as the figure squirmed in pain and as quickly as it started, it finished._

_'Then tell me why he is not here with it'_

_The figure trembled, but he also noticed that his, well, Voldemort's hand was trembling as well. He decided to mentally note that for later._

_'M-m-my Lord, the old fool is watching him too closely. Severus sends word that he'll be able to escape tomorrow and deliver the potion.'_

_The figure took a small step back, obviously hoping to escape punishment. It seems luck was on his side when the next words uttered were 'Excellent Wormtail, you are dismissed'_

_The figure quickly bowed down and kissed the hem of the robes before scurrying out the door. As he exited, a more shapely robed figure entered and bowed down._

_'My Lord' the feminine voice started. She inquired of what they were going to do about Potter and their captured comrades._

_'Let them suffer for failing me, we'll get them out in due time Bellatrix. For now let's lead them into a false sense of security'_

_'You are most brilliant my Lord' and with that Bellatrix bowed down and kissed the robes and then looked up. He could tell that Voldemort had nodded his head, another curious thing he noted for later analysis. But then all thoughts of that nature quickly escaped his head as Bellatrix sat in the lap of Voldemort, whom Harry currently was seeing out of. _

Thankfully, the dream/vision ended there. Harry quickly sat up and grabbed his pillow, thinking about what he just saw, and trying to forget what he never wanted to see. At the very least, his dream/vision brought his thoughts off Sirius for an hour as he wrote down everything he could remember in the dream/vision on a piece of spare parchment.

'Voldemort must be weak after everything, he could barely hold onto the Cruciatus Curse for a few seconds. I'm sure the headmaster will find that information useful. Plus he's having the Death Eaters lay low. That should give us time to strengthen up. With the people we captured at the Ministry, Dumbledore should be able to capture a few more Death Eaters'

Harry sighed and put his quill down, mentally exhausted from going through this dream/vision. 'But the thinking had to be done', he reasoned, 'I won't let anybody else die because I didn't think before I acted'. He figured that he had no need to doubt the validity of this dream/vision. Sure, it could have been a ploy by Voldemort to lull them into a false sense of security, like his plans dictated. However, it just didn't feel the same, it felt like it had when 'he' bit Mr. Weasley.

Hedwig was asleep on her perch 'No need to wake her, since Voldemort is laying low, this information can stand to wait until morning'. In a way, Harry envied Hedwig at that moment. He knew he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep anytime soon. He sat back at his desk and started to compose some other letters for his friends. He must have been more tired than he thought, because the next thing he noticed was that it was sunny outside, and he was lying on his desk with a quill with a huge blot of ink on his letter for Ron. With a quick note after the blob ('Sorry mate, fell asleep writing'), he put the letter off to the side to finish later.

He looked at his watch and noticed that it was still pretty early in the day. He got up and went to the bathroom to take a nice warm shower, since he was a bit sore from sleeping at his desk. So far the Dursleys were avoiding him and treating him decently, but he wasn't sure how long that would last. After drying and getting dressed, he quietly went downstairs and grabbed a banana for breakfast before hurrying back up to his room. He quietly ate the banana and chucked the peel into his wastebin. As he was going for the letter he had written Dumbledore about his dream last night when he noticed another owl on the edge of his bed and an exotic bird next to it. Hedwig was hooting at the owl and they seemed to be communicating.

"Second day of summer and I'm already getting mail... I wonder who they're from," Harry pondered out loud to nobody in particular. He quickly relieved the birds of their post. The exotic bird immediately left, but the owl flew over to Hedwig's perch and they seemed to continue their conversation from earlier. In his amusement of watching the two birds communicate, he didn't notice another bird arrive in a bout of flames until the Phoenix landed on his shoulder and stroked it's head against Harry's. Harry was momentarily startled before he gave a slight chuckle.

"Hello Fawkes, what brings you to my part of the country?"

Fawkes sung a few notes in response while wiggling the letter he brought in front of Harry. Harry patted Fawkes' head and took the letter from him. "Well, I'll be sending Dumbledore a letter later today Fawkes, so you don't have to stick around if you don't want to." And with that, his thoughts went back to the scene of a few days ago in the Headmaster's office. Harry sighed, Dumbledore was probably sending him a bill or something for all the broken items. He was a bit ashamed of himself, but he wasn't sorry that he had done it. If he had only known of the prophecy earlier, then he wouldn't have been so eager to find out what laid beyond that bloody door. 'For all his wisdom, Dumbledore is only human'. While he wasn't as angry as he had been, he couldn't help but wonder if the headmaster was keeping anything else from Harry. 'I'll just have to think about that later though, for now I have three letters to attend to'. With a quick glance seeing that Fawkes had flown over to the two Owls and joined in their 'conversation', he sat down at his desk and opened the letter from Dumbledore.

_Harry -_

_I know you're not terribly happy with me at the moment. However I thought it most prudent to contact you as soon as I found out. Our favorite spy returned from a meeting last night and we've learned that Voldemort is looking for you and has his followers out out with orders to kill first and check later. As such, it isn't safe for you to travel outside of the house. Please stay inside and report if you have anymore visions to us as soon as possible. _

_Unfortunately, for your safety, you cannot visit the Burrow or Headquarters until the very end of summer, the wards just aren't as strong as they are there. Keep post to a minimum, your owl is very recognizable._

_-Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts_

Harry looked at the letter in confusion. The letter just made no sense 'Why would Dumbledore say that Voldemort is actively looking for me when he decided to lay low? And Snape wasn't at the meeting last night...'. Getting nowhere with making sense of Dumbledore's letter, he put it off to the side and went to the other two letters. One was sealed without any trace of a crest to indicate the sender and the other had the seal of Gringotts. He put the blank seal to the side and curiously looked at the Gringotts letter.

"I wonder what they want, I've never gotten a letter from them before. I didn't even know they sent letters out," he pondered outloud. The Gringotts' Owl hooted at this, in a manner which clearly meant 'Of course they send letters out'. Ignoring the owl, he broke the seal and read the letter.

_Dear Mr. Harry James Potter_

_It has come to our attention that Mr. Sirius Black has passed beyond the veil and we wish to extend our condolences. Mr. Black had left us with an updated Will a few months ago leaving you as the main benefactor. We have included a copy of the will with our letter, as well as the Potter Will, as was requested by Mr. Black. If you have any questions about either Will, please owl us or visit us at your convenience._

_Glinhog_

_Office of Wills and Inheritance_

_Gringotts _

Harry stared at the letter. The letter, grim as it was, did provide Harry with some of the comfort he was denied earlier. The letter confirmed that Sirius was actually dead, which brought him grief, but at the same time, he could let go of the maddening hope that it was all a trick of light and that Sirius was still alive. The letter allowed him to move on to acceptance that his godfather would not suddenly send him a letter declaring that he was alive and it was all a late April Fools joke. Lost in his thoughts about Sirius, he made his way to his bed, forgetting about the two sheets of parchment attached to the letter. Fawkes flew over to Harry and stroked his head against Harry's, warbling a tune to comfort him as Harry went through all his experiences with his godfather. Before he knew it, he was asleep again, dreaming not of Voldemort or of Sirius's death, but of the good times they had together.

When Harry awoke again a few hours later, it was time for lunch. Fawkes was gone, as well as both Hedwig and the Gringotts' owl. Harry wasn't very hungry and went back to his desk. He still had one more letter to read and then he'd finish his correspondence to Ron and then send it to Headquarters. he picked up the parchment and broke the seal and nearly dropped it when he saw the handwriting. He knew this handwriting. But it wasn't possible - was it? Getting back on track, Harry started to actually read the letter.

_Harry -_

_Just wanted to let you know that although you might swear you're up to no good over a spare bit of parchment, it's better to see if others are up to no good._

_- Sirius_

Harry looked at the parchment for a few minutes before the message clicked. He quickly took his wand and tapped the letter saying "I solemnly swear I am up to no good" and quickly the words disappeared to be replaced.

_Prongslet_

_If you're reading this, I've either been captured by the Dementors or I am dead. If I'm back in Azkaban (shudder) I doubt I'll be able to break out again, and so I'll never be able to impart this information to you. If I'm dead, I can only hope I went down protecting you from Voldemort and not from Aurors. But that is neither here nor there. I'm not sure how much time will have passed since I've written this or how close we have gotten, but always know this, I love you like you were my own son. When I first saw you again a year ago, I suddenly had a reason to go on living besides capturing that traitorous rat. I'm currently writing this from a nice cave in a location I cannot tell you of, but I still wish you were here. I think you'd like it after Privet Drive._

_Now, for the main reason I'm writing you. When I was at Hogwarts at the end of your third year, I took the time to add you to the wards of the Marauders' Tower in the case of my death or imprisonment. If you think hard enough, you'll find you know where to find it. When your father and I were in our 3rd year, we found this tower and by the end of 5th year, the Marauders had their own headquarters within the school. It was charmed so that none of us could speak of it, or write about it for that matter, unless it was to each other or we were in the tower itself. Nifty piece of spell work if you ask me. I ended up being the Secret Keeper for the tower, and since you're reading this, you are now the secret keeper for the tower as I am no longer able to do it. Keep the secret closely guarded and tell only those you trust. Inside the tower you will find many marvelous things, I can't detail them in this letter due to a lot of charms on said items, but you'll be pleasantly surprised when you get there._

_Just one last note before I leave and that is to say live a little. From my brief acquaintance with you, I've noticed that you seem to have the world on your shoulders. Just live, have fun. You're only young once. Oh, and before I forget, in case you didn't know, you're the main benefactor of the Black Estates, so you should have a nice pile of galleons to live a little on._

_- Padfoot_

_PS - Don't forget to Manage your Mischief, we wouldn't want unfriendly eyes to read this (wink) _

Harry read the letter over a few times, digesting its contents. It was nice to have a letter that stated his godfather's love for him. Harry tapped the letter and muttered 'Mischief Managed' and watched as the words melted away leaving the original message. Tucking the letter away under the loose floorboard with the rest of his prized possessions, Harry went back to his desk. He still had two Wills to read and another pile of letters to write. At the very least, he had to change his letter to the Headmaster, he still wasn't sure what was up with him, but it was clear that the headmaster was hiding something. He was lying to Harry again and Harry wanted to know why. Until then, he wasn't going to let it on that he knew the headmaster was lying.

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**Next Chapter:** Two Wills and a Plan 


	2. Two Wills and a Plan

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything, not making money off of it, etc.

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**Chapter 2: Two Wills and a Plan**

Harry looked at the two attached parchments. One affixed with what was assumed to be the Potter crest, and the other with the Black crest. He looked back between the two with the internal debate of which to open and read first. On one hand, he can read the wishes of his parents. On the other hand, Sirius's will would be the final piece that would cement his death. The Goblins had very strict magic and only in the case of death does the Office of Wills and Inheritance send out copies of the will to the benefactors. In the end, he decided on reading his parent's will first.

_We, James Edgar Potter and Lily Frances Evans-Potter, being of sound mind, memory, and magic, hereby declare this as our last Will and Testament nullifying any previous wills in existence._

_First, we name our only son, Harry James Potter, the sole heir of the Potter Estates. If Mr. Potter is under the age of 16, he is to be placed in the care of the following people, in order of succession,_

_I. Sirius Black, godfather_

_II. Alice Longbottom, godmother_

_III. Remus Lupin, family friend_

_IV. Peter Pettigrew, family friend_

_V. Frank Longbottom, family friend_

_VI. Minerva McGonagall, family friend_

_VII. Filius Flitwick, family friend_

_VIII. Albus Dumbledore, family friend_

_If none of the people are available to be the guardian of the heir of the Potter Estates, then we leave it up those of sound mind, memory, and magic to find a suitable home for him. The family in which the heir is placed will receive a till of 2,000 galleons per annum until he reaches the age of 16 in which he will be able to declare emancipation, if he so desires. _

_It is the responsibility of the Guardian of the Heir of the Potter Estates to take care of the heir and provide him with a loving family while also providing the education needed to take over the Estates by the time the heir is 17, regardless of Emancipation. Until the Heir has the knowledge which is needed, the Guardian will have limited control of the Estate limited to maintenance of the properties. Aside from the 2,000 galleons per annum, no money from the Estate should be spent outside of the family. _

_Second, we leave the properties of Godric's Hollow and the Potter Castle to the Heir of the Potter Estates. Until he is considered a legal adult, the properties shall be maintained by the Potter House Elves. We leave the property of 57 Diagon Alley to Peter Pettigrew to start his business. We leave the property of 17 Vincent Ct. to Remus Lupin so he never has need of a home._

_If for some reason the party is unable to claim their property due to death or incarceration, they will revert back to the ownership of the Heir of the Potter Estates._

_Third, we leave all businesses and financial holdings to the Heir of the Potter Estates. Until the Heir is a legal adult, the businesses and financial holdings will be in the management of the Goblins of Gringotts._

_Fourth, we leave the contents of all the Potter and Evans vaults to the Heir of the Potter Estates except for the following notations_

_I. To Sirius Black we leave 10,000 galleons and the Marauders' Portrait, we know you'll end up talking to yourself the most._

_II. To Remus Lupin we leave 10,000 galleons and James' Journals, you always did wonder how and why he ticked._

_III. To Peter Pettigrew we leave 10,000 galleons and the camera, may you keep on taking pictures long after we're gone._

_IV. To the Longbottom Family, we leave 5,000 galleons, you've been great friends to us over the years._

_V. To Minerva McGonagall, we leave James' old Quidditch Uniform and Letter which contains the answer to that question you asked us before we graduated._

_VI. To Filius Flitwick, we leave Lily's experimental Charms notebook, hopefully you can figure out how to finish them._

_VII. To Albus Dumbledore, we leave you all the socks in the Potter Vault, may you never need for socks again._

_VIII. To the Lycanthropy Research Society, we leave 10,000 galleons to help find the cure._

_IX. To the Order of the Phoenix, if still functioning, we leave 10,000 galleons to help the fight against Voldemort_

_X. To Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, we leave 10,000 galleons to the scholarship fund as well as 100 galleons per annum to the scholarship fund until the Heir of the Potter Estates turns 16._

_If for some reason the party is unable to claim their assets due to death or incarceration, they will revert back to the ownership of the Heir of the Potter Estates._

_The Potter Family vault will be sealed at the time of our deaths until the Heir is a legal adult unless accompanied by his Guardian. Until the Heir is legally an adult, they will only have access to their trust vault with the sum of 1,000 galleons per annum added to the original balance of 10,000 galleons._

_Fifth, in the case of the death of the Heir of the Potter Estates before they are of age, the Potter Estates shall be liquidated and its money should be split evenly between the Lycanthropy Research Society, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Sirius Black, Alice & Frank Longbottom, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. If any of the benefactors are unable to claim their assets, the executor of the will has the power to distribute their funds to appropriate charities._

_In the presence of Magic and the subscribing witnesses, as it is written, so shall it be executed._

Harry set down the parchment, his mind buzzing with questions. '10,000 galleons is a lot, but from the sounds of it, it's hardly making a dent in the Potter Estates, why was I never told? And in a few weeks time, I can legally declare my emancipation and leave the Dursleys, another thing I was never told. Not to mention I don't think they've ever laid a finger on that 2,000 galleon per year bonus' He had never expected this from the will. He knew about his vault, well, apparently his trust vault, but he never imagined that he was that rich. It has honestly never crossed his mind to check on how much money was in his vault. Though, if he had ever needed to make a guess, he could have sworn it couldn't have been more than 1,000 galleons. He made a mental note to ask the Goblins about that later, it seemed like having a wealth hiding charm would be rather useful if he ever had to make large withdrawals.

Putting the Potter Will aside for later safekeeping under the floorboards, Harry picked up the Black Will. He looked at it for a few minutes, being wary of its contents before finally opening it. All he really hoped for was maybe a portrait of Sirius or something that belonged to him and his parents when they were in school. What he read floored him.

_I, Sirius Sebastian Black, being of sound mind, memory, and magic, hereby declare this as our last Will and Testament nullifying any previous wills in existence._

_First, I name my godson, Harry James Potter, the sole heir of the Black Estates on the stipulation that he must formally and legally change his name to Harry James Potter-Black. If the stipulation is not met, the Black Estate will be frozen until an heir of the Potter line, once of legal age, consents to change their last name to Potter-Black or just Black. Once legally proclaimed an adult, the Heir of the Black Estates will be formally known as the Head of the Potter-Black Estates._

_Second, I leave the property of 12 Grimwald Place to the Heir of Black on the stipulation that it remains Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix until such a time that Lord Voldemort is dead. If Mr. Potter does not consent to be the Heir of Black, 12 Grimwald Place will fall under the Guardianship of Albus Dumbledore until such a time that Lord Voldemort is dead._

_Third, I leave all businesses and financial holdings to the Heir of the Black Estates except for the following notations_

_I. I leave all my shares of Honeydukes to Remus Lupin (10 ownership)_

_II. I leave half my shares of Zonkos to Fred Weasley (15 ownership)_

_III. I leave the remaining shares of Zonkos to George Weasley (15 ownership)_

_If for some reason a benefactor is unable to claim their shares due to death or incarceration, they will revert back to the ownership of the Heir of the Black Estates._

_  
Fourth, I leave the contents of all the Black vaults to the Heir of the Black Estates except for the following notations_

_I. To Remus Lupin I leave 10,000 galleons and all the books on magical creatures stored in the Black Family Vault_

_II. To Severus Snape, I leave the framed pair of boxers with accompanied magical photograph_

_III. To Narcissa Malfoy, I leave you the remainder of your Trust Fund and cut you from your per annum dowry._

_IV. To Bellatrix Lestrange, I leave you the remainder of your Trust Fund and cut you from your per annum dowry._

_V. To Draco Malfoy, I just wanted you to get a copy of this will to rub Harry's wealth in your face, so I leave you a knut._

_VI. To the Weasley Family, I leave you 20,000 galleons and there isn't anything you can do about it. Just continue to be there for Harry._

_VII. To Ronald Weasley, I leave you my secret Chudley Cannon stash and 100 galleons._

_VIII. To Hermione Granger, I leave you a copy of The Marauders' Book of Pranks so you have something else to live by besides Hogwarts; A History and 100 galleons._

_IX. To Fred and George Weasley, I leave you a copy of The Marauders' Book of Pranks and the knowledge that Harry knows who the Marauders are, as well as 200 galleons._

_X. To Ginny Weasley, I leave you my favorite dart board, specially transfigured to look like old Moldywarts, and 100 galleons._

_XI. To Nymphadora Tonks, I leave you 5,000 galleons and suggest you invest in soundless boots._

_XII. To Andromeda Tonks, I reinstate your Trust Fund and reapply your per annum dowry._

_XIII. To Albus Dumbledore, I leave you 10,000 galleons, of which I must stipulate every last galleon must go towards the purchase of socks. Between the Blacks and the Potters, you shall never fret for a pair of matching socks._

_XIV. To Mad-Eye Moody, I leave you Black Vault #73, which contains those items my mother was able to hide from you when you raided Grimwald Place back in 1974. Have fun with the Reductor Curse._

_XV. To the Lycanthropy Research Society, I leave 10,000 galleons to help find the cure._

_XVI. To Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I leave you 5,000 galleons to the Gryffindor Quidditch Team and 10,000 to the overall school Quidditch program. You really need better brooms._

_XVII. To The Quibbler, I leave you 500 galleons for keeping me entertained._

_If for some reason a benefactor is unable to claim their assets due to death or incarceration, they will revert back to the ownership of the Heir of the Black Estates._

_Fifth, on the occasion of my death, I wish for the goblins to oversee the execution of my will and to see to it that a copy of the James Potter & Lily Evans-Potter Will is sent to Mr. Harry Potter with a copy of the Black Will._

_In the presence of Magic and the subscribing witnesses, as it is written, so shall it be executed._

Harry stared gobsmacked at the will. 'Sirius wants me to be his heir?' The stipulation was more than agreeable to Harry, of course he would be happy to continue the Black name in the form of being named Mr. Potter-Black. Though, he didn't know how he would do that "formally and legally" as the Will stipulated. He pulled out a clean sheet of parchment, it would be best to figure out what he would ask the Goblins about. He never received any sort of Estate training and knew nothing of their management or much about Wizarding Law, and as the Goblins have been managing the Potter assets for the past 14 years,

Thirty-seven minutes later, Harry finished writing out all the questions he wanted to ask the Goblins. He looked over his list again and marked the ones he thought could be answered over correspondence. Another ten minutes later and he had composed his letter to the Goblins. Using a bit of wax, he sealed the parchment and looked over at Hedwig's cage. It was still empty. "I wonder where she's gone...," he mused and then turned back to his desk. He still had letters to write. He went over and tidied up his desk, making a pile for letters waiting to be sent, The Gringotts Letter and Hermiones Letter (which he had composed last night before he started on Ron's); letters to be finished, Ron's and the old letter to Dumbledore which he now had to rewrite; and a stack of blank parchment, as he felt he would be needing it with all the letters to be written. He stashed the Wills underneath the floorboards and settled back at his desk. The first letter he would tackle would be finishing his letter to Ron.

The start of Ron's letter had been a polite inquiry about how his inquires from the Department of Mysteries were faring. The letter quickly had started to segway into dreams and feeling that it would be too suspicious if he blotted out the last few sentences, he continued on with the part of the dream he wanted to forget.

_... Well, I suppose you're wondering why I'm going on about dreams. No, I didn't have another dream about Sirius. Last night's dream was much, much worse. Even worse than Umbridge and Snape snogging in pink bloomers. And what makes it even 'better' is that it wasn't a dream, it was a vision. How do I know? Well, let's just say if I were him, I wouldn't be sending my worse enemy a vision about this. Have I gotten you properly terrified yet, though I have my doubts about anyone ever being prepared. I only thank Magic that I woke up before anything serious happened..._

Well, in his deepest of deepest thoughts, he could admit to himself that he really could have just said he was dreaming of Sirius again, but as the muggle saying goes 'Misery enjoys company' and if anybody could share his misery at this knowledge, it would be Ron. Not that he was going to tell Ron the entire story, just the parts that mattered.

_...Well, it started off with me seeing through Voldemort's eyes. Next thing I knew, Bellatrix (hiss) kissed Voldemort's robes and then looked up at him. Voldemort nodded and she sat in his lap and puckered her lips, they were about to SNOG. Like I said, I thank Magic I woke up before they actually started to. _

_Well, I should probably write to other people now. Write back, the muggles are being decent, but it's still boring here. - Harry_

"Well, that's one letter down," Harry sighed, folding it up and sealing it shut. He placed it on the 'to be sent' pile and pulled a fresh sheet of parchment out. He had to think of what he was going to tell Dumbledore. He obviously wasn't going to tell him about the vision, at least, not the complete vision. Where the telling was for friendly companionship (and maybe a little bit of Harry's Marauder side) for Ron, his withholding information and telling of Voldemort's extracurricular activities was purely a form of revenge. 'We'll see how he likes not being told the whole truth. Plus, ' Harry was reasoning, 'I'm not harming anybody in doing this. If I have a vision about a possible attack, then I'll tell him, but let him worry about Voldemort's sudden silence'. Now all he had to think about was how he was going to get to Gringotts. It wasn't like the Order was going to let him waltz down Diagon Alley after the Headmaster has told them that Death Eater activity was up and targeted towards Harry.

Harry started writing on the blank parchment. In what seemed like minutes to Harry was actually a few hours and on the parchment he had his plan for getting to Diagon Alley. Now all he had to do was write Dumbledore and so, with another blank piece of parchment, he started to write.

_Professor Dumbledore,_

_Thank you for the information, it's nice to see you're finally sharing information with me. I'm sorry about the way I acted in your office a few days ago and I hope you were able to repair everything. I just wanted to let you know that while I haven't totally forgiven you, I'm not angry with you anymore. I also had a vision last night. Voldemort was there, it seems he has redecorated, the place was looking more... expensive... that it did before. He seemed a bit tired, though, I suppose that's to be expected with all those raids you said he's been going on looking for me. Oh, and I thought you should know, in case their thinking about procreating, that at the end of the meeting Bellatrix looked up at him and then they were about to kiss. Thankfully I woke up before their lips made contact but maybe you guys should try and get more information on Bellatrix._

_Oh, and the muggles are treating me well, be sure to pass that on to the Order for me. I know you guys wanted a letter every three days, but after the OWLs, the Department of Mysteries, and Sirius' death, I've decided to reread all my textbooks from the past five years and I really don't want to be disturbed, so I'll write again next week. I just really feel that if I paid more attention to my studies, I could have prevented some of things that happened. _

_- Harry Potter_

Harry looked over the letter again, making sure he didn't reveal too much. It conveyed what he wanted the headmaster to believe- that he had mostly forgiven the headmaster (which he hadn't, not really), that he had a vision, that he 'believed' the letter the headmaster had sent him and that he wouldn't be in contact and didn't want to be bothered for a week. Just before he was about to seal the letter, he then remembered something he forgot, and so, in a postscript, he added

_PS - I know they're there for my safety, but could you have the Order guards back off on Friday. The Dursleys are having a dinner party and don't want to have the guests 'tripping over the freaks'. I'll be in my room the entire time, probably still reading my books, so I shouldn't find myself in too much trouble. I feel it will go a long way towards building the bridges between myself and the Dursleys. Thanks._

There, now the first part of his plan was done.

When he finished he sat back and to his surprise, the sun was starting to set. "Honestly, where has the day gone?" he grumbled, leaving his room to get some food. A few minutes later he went back to his room with a sandwich and an apple to find both owls and Fawkes back in his room.

"I thought you two would have left by now," he commented, placing the plate on the desk, "No matter, I don't suppose you wouldn't mind if I asked you to deliver some letters for me."

Harry have the note to Professor Dumbledore to Fawkes, the note to Gringotts to the Gringotts owl, and the letters to Ron and Hermione to Hedwig and sent them off.

Alone and mentally exhausted, Harry cleaned everything up and then collapsed on his bed. Tomorrow he would work on phase two of his plan.

**

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Story Notes:**

Pairings - As of this moment, I don't have any concrete plans for pairings. Feel free to leave suggestions. Like you said, yournombrehere, it's still too early for a relationship, he just lost his godfather and has way too much on his mind to even think about girls.

The Wills - Well, I googled 'famous wills' and got the basic format from skimming a few of those. Sorry for the length though. If you haven't figured it out already, you'll find out eventually how Dumbledore manipulated the Potter will so that it was carried out without the full disclosure of the will.

Ron & Hermione - Well, it's basically harry-centric for now, have to sort out the wills and letters and responses (oh my!), but you'll see. I don't intend this to be one of those "Ron and Hermione have been in Dumbledore's pocket since day 1 and they think he's a big headed prat" sort of fics, though I admit those are fun to read sometimes. Oh, and to clarify on Harry's letter to Ron, that was just means of clarifying that there's LV/BL going on a bit, very minor subplot, mainly for humor's sake.


	3. Backlash and Tea Cozies

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything, not making money off of it, etc.  
**

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Chapter 3: Backlash and Tea Cozies**

While Harry was getting ready for bed, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, lemon drop in his mouth and Sirius Black's will in his hand. After sending the letter to Harry this morning, Albus had spent the better portion of the day finding ways around the Will. The major weakness of his plans was the assumption that the Goblins would send a summons to Harry and not directly send him the will. Albus figured his mail wards would just bounce the letter back to his office in a day or two, and even if they managed to get through, Harry would stay at home like his letter had told him to. Yes, Albus thought he was quite safe, now all he had to do was keep Harry from Gringotts and a copy of the Wills and everything would be just lemony (Albus didn't like peaches, they were too sweet).

'The first thing to do', he thought, 'is to write the Goblins and tell them that Mr. Potter wished me to express that he does not wish to declare his last name Potter-Black, as that would freeze the Black accounts and still enable us to use Headquarters'. A brilliant plan, he concluded, mentally patting himself on the back. He began composing his letter to the Gringotts Goblins. Just as he finished the last touches on the letter, Fawkes appeared in all his brilliance and dropped Harry's letter on his desk before flying off to his perch.

Albus picked up the parchment and broke the seal, scanning over the paper. He was quiet pleased at Harry's response. Yes, it seemed like he would be able to carry out his plan.

Noting the time, Albus put the letter and Wills to the side to finish up tomorrow. Now that he knew his plan wasn't in jeopardy from a stubborn teenager, he felt he deserved a bit of a rest. 'After all, if you were one of the strongest Wizards in the world, you would need your beauty sleep too' he reasoned in his head, chuckling at his own joke.

A few hundred miles away, a fierce looking goblin with beady charcoal eyes and skin the color of moss was looking over a ledger when the next person in line walked up. Without so much as a glance at the person, he started the standard procedure for vault visitations.

"Key, please" Glinhog sneered in his best intimidating voice. 'Great Gold do I hate the desk shifts'.

The Goblin looked up from his ledger to watch as the wizard fumbled through his robes searching for his key. Glinhog decided to upgrade his look to sneer number 7, which caused most week willed wizards, like the one before him, to hasten their search. 'What a waste of time. Honestly, there's no more than half a dozen decent wizards now a days. The lot of them would rather believe a washed up ghost who can't remember which day of the week it is than confront a Goblin about the wars. Then again,' Glinhog began to muse, 'the desk shift wouldn't be near as entertaining if they did grow a brain.'

The wizard, noticing the increased displeasure added to the Goblin's sneer, did increase his fumbling through his pockets before his eyes brightened and nearly threw the key at the Glinhog.

"Everything seems in order, Lightcave will bring you to your vaults," and with a slight wave, and his sneer number 3, which indicated his displeasure at the notion of having to spend even a minute more in the presence of the person graced with it, he sent the bumbling fool off to his vaults. 'I wouldn't be surprised if in five years his entire holdings have disappeared from his idiocy.

An hour, and many idiot wizards and witches, later, Glinhog was finally reprieved from desk duty. He really wanted to murder the founding Goblin who had insisted that every Goblin, no matter what their rank in the bank was, was to have at least 1 shift of desk duty every two weeks. Something about keeping in touch with the 'patrons'. 'Patrons indeed,' he snarled in his head, 'there hasn't been a true patron in over a thousand years, all we have are brainwashed idiots. But of course, the other managers don't want to 'break tradition', plus I suspect they want to keep it because it prevents the bank from needing to hire a lot of tellers'

Glinhog's thoughts were interrupted by a Gringotts owl landing gracefully on his desk with a parchment in hand, a rather thick parchment.

The Goblin broke the parchment seal and looked over the letter and knew he'd get no sleep tonight. But strangely enough, he wasn't repulsed by that idea. 'Finally, a wizard who asks a question. I'll have to keep an eye on Mr. Potter.' and with that thought, he grabbed a dictating quill and began writing the answers to each of the questions presented to him, pulling out informational brochures and documents where needed. By the time he was done, he had declared this night his most exhausting, but rewarding night of work and packaged everything in a box to send to Mr. Potter - after all, there were a lot of questions, and each question had at least one outside reference for the boy. He shrunk the box and had it wand activated, which was explained in the accompanying letter, and sent them off with the same Gringotts' owl from before.

As all this was happening, Harry was asleep in his bed on Privet Drive dreaming of Dumbledore, Voldemort, and a troop of revolutionary bunnies with machine guns pointing out various inconsistencies between his life and what was written in his parent's will. While not the weirdest dream he had ever had, it did rank in the top ten, and as dreams go, he had forgotten half of it before he even woke up. Eager to get this day started, he stole to the bathroom and took a nice shower. The water was a bit hotter than he normally liked it, but he didn't mind as his thoughts were otherwise preoccupied.

His thoughts eventually drifted to the Marauders' Tower while he shampooed his hair. As he worked and lathered his hair, he started to wonder what would be there, and why Sirius hadn't told him before hand. It was rather odd, only giving him knowledge of the place if he died or was imprisoned. Was something dangerous or potentially dangerous there? His thoughts were suddenly derailed as he rinsed out the shampoo a bit rinsed off into his eye. He rinsed his eye off immediately, keeping it slightly closed as it still stung and finished up his shower. Maybe he could write Remus and see if he would be more forthcoming than Sirius' letter had been. 'And,' he admitted to himself, 'it would be nice to strike up a better relationship with him.'

Harry dried off, scrambled into some clothes and then headed downstairs to grab a bowl of cereal. After a bowl of frosted wheats, he did the dishes that were in the sink as well as his own before heading back up to his room. He sat down at his desk, trying to figure out something to do for awhile. After a few minutes, he decided he should start on rereading his textbooks, and though he was loathe to admit it, he decided to start on his potion texts, if he did happen to get an O on his Potion's OWLs, he didn't want to have to rely on Hermione for the class.

After a few chapters, he looked up and realized it was a decent hour, 'Though, I doubt he would have been angry at me for calling him earlier...but still, it would have been rather rude of me'. Harry put down his book, marking his place by slipping in his school tie as a bookmark, and snapped his fingers. "Dobby!"

With a loud crack, Dobby appeared next to Harry and then leaped and hugged Harry's leg, "Master Harry Potter, sir! Dobby is happy to sees you! What can Dobby do for you?"

Harry smiled at the enthusiastic house elf, "I have a favor to ask of you. On Friday, I need to get to Diagon Alley."

"But Harry Potter, sir. There are bad wizards out there. Dobby hear Headmaster Dumblydore tell the Order about them." Harry raised his eyebrow, 'Why would Professor Dumbledore tell them, I would think that Snape would have.' "Dobby, it's okay, everybody thinks I'll be at my Muggle relatives all break, the Death Eaters won't think to look in Diagon Alley. If it'll help, you can come with me."

Dobby appeared to be thinking about it when his face lit up, "Yes Master Harry Potter Sir, Dobby would love to come! Dobby will protect you from the bad wizards!"

"That's good, but do you know of a way that will keep Auror Moody from noticing I'm gone. We'll be gone for a few days, I have to talk to the Goblins and it might be take more than one day to get all my affairs in order." Harry hoped that his little friend would be able to pull through for him, but the second Moody went on duty, he would realize Harry was missing and then his little excursion would be out. He was deep in thought about the various lectures and stern looks he'd get if caught when Dobby brought him out of his reverie.

"Dobby could enchant your blanket to fool his eye, Harry Potter sir, but the second there is trouble Dobby will be bringing you back here," the house elf threatened with his sternest look. Said look's effect was severely diminished by the mountain of tea cozies on Dobby's head as they tumbled down from Harry giving the elf a hug.

"Thank you Dobby, I don't know how I'd have been able to do this without you. You'll have to get here early on Friday Morning, before six. While we're out, I'll buy you some clothes too," the boy hero rambled as Dobby was shocked in place that a wizard as great as Harry Potter had _hugged_ him. The house elf swore that he was never going to wash the neon green and peach striped vest that he was wearing, and maybe hang it up in his room.

After some more chatting, Dobby left and Harry picked up where he left off in his Potions work. He made a mental note to buy a self heating cauldron when in Diagon Alley, as well as some ingredients. It would be nice to be able to practice brewing some potions too over the summer, and as Potions didn't require a wand, the Improper Use of Magic Department wouldn't be able to detect it. He would also have to see if it was safe for them to put a Muggle Repelling Charm on it, he didn't want the Dursleys finding it either.

Being the third day into the break at the Burrow, everything was going okay. Molly was in the kitchen fixing breakfast, Arthur was getting ready for work, the Twins were already at their shop, and the youngest male and female weasley were still sleeping. At about five in the morning, a snowy owl flew in an open window, nearly giving Molly a heart attack, which quickly turned into excitement as she recognized Harry's owl. She took the letter off Hedwig's leg before putting the letter in Ron's usual place at the table and returning to breakfast.

An hour later, the tall redhead was in the kitchen following the scent of the cooking sausages. While yes, it was only the third day of vacation, Ron felt the necessity of waking early enough to eat his breakfast warm, as heating charms did effect the flavor, if you asked his opinion. So far his summer had been rather boring. When your siblings weren't around and all you had to do was homework, and really, nobody but Hermione did homework at the beginning of summer vacation. As such, any diversion was well received, especially if it was in the form of a letter from his best friend Harry. So when Molly informed the sleepy eyed red head of the letter waiting for him at the table, he rushed over and broke the seal. Today was going to be a good day, a nice big breakfast and a letter from Harry had to be good omens, right?

Ron read through the note, eagerly going through Harry's questions and summer activities so far. 'Doesn't sound like he's having any better of a time than I am, I wonder if he'll be able to come to the Burr-- OH BLOODY HELL,' and Ron's thoughts quickly stopped after he finished the letter.

Noticing the sudden paling of her youngest son, Molly quickly went into her mother hen mode and started to coddle Ron, trying to find out if something was wrong with Harry and if there was anything she could do for Ron. All Ron did was burn the letter and rush upstairs without breakfast. To a degree, he could understand why Harry had to share that ... interesting bit of information. But the larger part of Ron was disgusted and suddenly, homework didn't seem as bad as an alternative to boredom anymore. He'd do just about anything to get that mental picture out of his head. Without a word to his mother, Ron rushed upstairs. He only braked for a quick lunch, which was about a fifth of his normal meal size. Honestly, he wasn't that hungry anymore.

Later on that night, the family would note that it was the first time ever that Ron was chatting excitably about Potions, of all things, and only took second helpings. It worried the family, after all, Ron had just been through that dreadful Ordeal at the Ministry. Maybe he still had mental wounds that needed to be healed. They couldn't bring in Harry, Dumbledore never had allowed him over this early in the summer. But maybe Hermione or Neville could come and stay over for awhile.

With that thought in mind, Molly pulled out a slightly rumpled piece of parchment and composed invitations for the summer to both Hermione and Neville.

It was mid-afternoon when Harry stopped in his studies again. He had a few dozen scrolls of notes from his Potion's tomes and his hand was cramping. It was as good as time as any to eat something, so he made he way downstairs. After a small, but hardy, meal, Harry discovered that there was a note on his chair. Thinking it might have been from the Goblins, he quickly went over and opened it, immediately frowning as he read it's contents.

"Bloody Hell, Dumbledore, what are you trying to play at," growled Harry as he went through the letter. He pulled out another blank sheet of parchment and the previous day's letter. At this rate, he would need to buy another set when he was in Diagon Alley. He then tried to figure out the puzzle that was Dumbledore's recent behavior, slowly working himself into another rage against the headmaster. It was rather lucky for Dumbledore that Harry had no means of getting to his office or else another dozen trinkets or so would meet their demise.

Hermione's day had been significantly better than Ron's day had been. Though, this could largely be attributed to the fact that Harry had written his letter to her before he had his vision, so its contents were limited to 'you were right' and 'sorry's' as well as a few lines about OWLs. Hermione knew those lines about OWLs were mainly for her benefit, Harry wasn't studious enough to be worried about the results at the moment- after all, they had just taken them a week ago. A second contributing factor to Hermione's day could also be attributed to the fact that she didn't receive his letter until mid-afternoon, right as she was taking a break in her summer homework, at same time that Harry had gotten another letter from Dumbledore.

Feeling the need to stretch her quill on something other than a scroll detailing her thoughts on the arguments presented in the infamous Debate of the Liverstrife of 1507, she penned Harry a nice long response detailing that he wasn't to blame for Sirius's death, that no apologies were needed, that she couldn't wait for her OWL scores, as well as a detailed summery of what summer homework she had completed and some recommended readings she had for him. She was quite realistic that Harry probably wouldn't take her suggestions, but she had to try.

She gave her response to Hedwig who flew out after stealing a bit of water from Hermione's glass. Once the snowy owl was out of sight, Hermione returned to her summer work.

By the time Hedwig returned home, she had found her owner in a rage. Sensing her owner's distress, she allowed Harry to run his fingers through her feathers absently. When he had calmed down, he finally noticed that she had a letter tied to her leg, he quickly removed it and apologized.

"Sorry girl, It's just that I can't figure out the Headmaster anymore. Up until last year, I would have thought that he was a grandfather of sort, somebody who watched over me and gave me advice, but wasn't very active in my day to day life. But then this year he ignores me to 'keep me safe', and then there's that blasted Prophecy and Blood Wards," Harry paused as he sighed and gave her an owl treat, "You look like you could use a rest and here I am detaining you. Have a nice rest girl." With one last pat, Hedwig flew to her stand and Harry opened the letter. After reading, Harry gave one of those laughs that, had anybody heard it, would bring into question his sanity. The letter was so typical Hermione that he couldn't help it, after all the turmoil with Dumbledore and Wills, it was nice to know that there were some things that weren't going to cause another shift in his swiftly changing universe.

He made a mental note that he should look into the books Hermione recommended, After all, it was going to be a long summer and he didn't expect to be able to escape from Privet Drive again until school began since he doubted his rouse would last as long as he wanted it to, but he would take what time he could get. After scribbling the titles on a spare piece of parchment, which he titled "books to look for:", he decided to continue rereading his textbooks. He would start his homework, but he figured his homework would be of a higher quality after he reread his books and didn't want to constantly update his homework.

After reading a nice chapter on the properties of various types of frog eggs and their reaction charts, Harry closed his Potion's text. As if on queue, his stomach grumbled causing his emerald eyes to sparkle in amusement. "I suppose I should grab a bite to eat," he stated to nobody in particular as he opened his door to head downstairs. The Dursleys had already eaten dinner and had cleaned up. Shrugging, he went into the refrigerator and made a sandwich and grabbed a glass of water before heading back up.

Once 9:00 PM hit, Harry decided to stop his studies for the day and get to bed. He wanted to get his rest, tomorrow he had to deal with going through his notes on Dumbledore, a night of rest on the problem would clear his head.

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**Story Notes:**

Time line - I'm working off the assumption that the Leaving Feast is on Friday Night, the students leave Saturday Morning (11AM), get to King's Coss by 3PM, and Harry's back at the Durlsey's by 4PM. This also means he doesn't have his vision until Sunday Morning and a lot of things happen on Sunday. This chapter encompasses Monday, though the beginning parts take place Sunday night.

Updating Schedule - I'm no good with schedules, absolutely horrible with them. So I'm going to try and update once a week, but take that statement with a grain of salt. I'll usually try and update my profile with the week's potential story updates.

"Great Gold" - Well, I wasn't quiet sure what to use for the Goblin's version of "Merlin" or "Circe", and since Goblins like gold, I figured it was a decent enough replacement.

**Next Chapter: Dealings With Dursleys**

Harry has a little chat with the Dursleys...

The Gringotts' Owl returns a little worse for the wear, but with answers for Harry.


	4. Dealing With Dursleys

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything, not making money off of it, etc.

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**Chapter 4: Dealings With Dursleys**

In what was beginning to become a sleeping pattern, Harry woke up early and started to prepare for his day. It was beginning to be a good day, a light breakfast, no new letters, and another day until he made his way to Diagon Alley. A good day indeed.

Harry looked out the window of the kitchen as he cleaned his dishes. The sky seemed to be a bit darker than normal, but he looked on the bright side, whoever was out there 'guarding' him would be caught in the rain. He then smirked at the image of rain bouncing off of human outlines. 'I wonder how they get around that, though there wasn't exactly a lot of rain last year with the drought...'

Shaking his head, he made his way upstairs, passing his Aunt as she ducked into the bathroom. That event, unfortunately, reminded him that he had to have a little talk with his _dear_ family. 'I'd almost rather go under the Crutatius, but I wasn't almost a Slytherin for nothing...'

It wasn't until an hour later that he figured out how he was going to con the Dursleys into following his plan. Or at least conning Uncle Vernon into following the plan. That would be simple enough, make them think there's more in it for them, with something like, oh, say, money. However, his plan would have to wait until after the Dursleys had their dinner, he highly doubted he could get the discussion he wanted to have with them out of the way until then.

His mood took a turn for the dark when Harry spied Dumbledore's letter still on his desk, opened. 'The nerve of that...that...ugh. Best interests indeed' he thought as he scowled. He picked up the letter and turned to Hedwig, "Listen to this girl, lets see what you make of it"

" 'Harry -' you see that girl, just wait, I'll have him addressing me as Mr. Potter-Black unless he has a very good explanation

'You really shouldn't have sent a response, Voldemort could have traced the magic in the house. What you saw wasn't important enough.' - see there, now he's scolding me for telling him about the vision!"

By this point, Harry was pacing with the scowl only deepening as he dissected the letter some more. Hedwig just adopted a glare as Harry continued to read.

" 'Though, the information on Tom and Bellatrix was enlightening, it wasn't that much of a surprise. I trust you'll keep that information to yourself though, you wouldn't want Tom broadcasting your love life, would you?' - Now he's defending Voldemort's right to kiss- date- shag- I don't know what LeStrange! But wait, it gets better...

'I'm happy you're finally applying yourself to your studies' - Really now, I get good grades. 'finally applying yourself' indeed. You would think all I do is drool in class or something. Honestly...

'Be assured that we will have the guards only on the outer edges of the wards on Friday, but I will be leaving Moody just beyond your yard as a precaution, it wouldn't do if your guardians accidently invited a Death Eater, would it?' - yes, because my relatives wouldn't want me dead..." Harry mocked with heavy sarcasm, "and then he ended it with his usual 'safety' tips - stay indoors, contact nobody, etc."

Hedwig hooted with a glare and decided next time she had to deliver a letter to the headmaster, she would leave behind a little surprise on his desk. On the other hand, Harry just crumpled up the paper and threw it in his wastebasket. Then he retrieved it, straightened it, and put it with his other note from Dumbledore.

What little trust the boy had in his headmaster was now extinguished. It was obvious the headmaster was up to something, and it was equally obvious that it wouldn't be any good. As if some force was helping him along, it suddenly clicked, why the headmaster was sending him the letters and lying to him. Barely above a whisper, but chalked full of emotions of betrayal and disbelief, he choked, "He's just using me..."

What Harry really needed right now was a hot cup of tea. Preoccupied with his thoughts, he made his way downstairs looking like he was in a trance. His Aunt was in the kitchen at the time, but wisely just ignored him as he put the water on the stove for some tea. She was about to just leave him alone, as his behavior indicted to her that he was displaying more of his freakish behavior when Harry noticed her. He abruptly cut off her retreat with a question, "Aunt Petunia, have you been getting paid to take care of me?"

To say that she was shocked at the question would be an understatement, "Who in their right mind would pay us to take care of you? No, your freaks didn't give us anything. Are you complaining? You got food, shelter, and clothing. There would be a lot of children who would beg to be in your shoes, ungrateful little freak..."

His Aunt continued to rant, but Harry stopped paying attention after that point. 'So whoever executed the will didn't do their job... and the only person I can think of is Dumbledore, not only is he using me to kill Voldemort, he's using me for the Potter fortune!' Fuming, he ignored his Aunt and was about to turn to leave the room when the kettle whistled. Turning back to the tea, he added the tea packet and let it brew. He never noticed when his Aunt left, tired of being in the same room with the freak. The excuse she gave herself was that she didn't want any of his freakiness contaminating her. The real reason was that he scared her more than a little bit, the last time she saw that expression even remotely like that was when she had last talked to her sister. Her sister had looked like she could kill her. Harry looked like he could kill not only her, but anybody who was in his way. After sipping tea while mumbling to himself, he left to go back upstairs.

For the next few hours, he fit everything into place until he had as good of a picture of Dumbledore as he could get with his information. Dumbledore obviously only thought he was good for defeating Voldemort and had some notion that Harry would miraculously defeat Voldemort. 'Honestly, I'd swear he would have just locked the two of us in a room by now and then opened it after the sounds of a battle stopped occurring. But then again, he's been there and done that.'

He broke for lunch in the early afternoon, not caring who he ran into. His Aunt had the misfortune of being in his path. He heard a squeak right after he barreled into her, which knocked him out of his reverie. Mentally scolding himself, he picked his Aunt up, expecting to be scolded, but she was still a bit frightened from earlier and made to leave his presence.

"I have to talk to you and Uncle Vernon after dinner, so I'll be eating with you tonight."

Not even waiting for a response, he went into the kitchen and prepared himself a nice lunch while his Aunt went over in her head what the freak could possibly want to talk to them about.

'It's probably about his freakiness. Well if he thinks we're going to do anything that involves his freakiness, he's got something coming to him. Worthless boy, ah, he's coming back this way... I think it's time to go shopping' though Petunia as she grabbed her purse and slammed the door shut.

Harry barely made note of the sound of the car leaving the driveway as he made his way back to his room. He went over and started to jot down some things he would like to buy while he was out when he was distracted by an owl flying through the window. His wings looked a bit battered and if Harry's eyes weren't deceiving him, the package looked a bit scorched as well. Harry hastened to relieve the owl of his package and set him next to Hedwig on her perch. It would have amused him that Hedwig immediately started to help the owl preen it's feathers and hoot in a reproachful manner towards the owl, but he was too preoccupied with getting the battered owl something to eat, as it looked like it had encountered some difficulties in its travels. It wasn't until he finally turned back towards the package that he realized that it was the same owl he had seen before and the grim through passed his mind pondering what happened to the owl to leave it in such a state. He felt a bit guilty that he wasn't more knowledgeable in nursing owls back to health, he knew that this owl would be a guest in his room for a few days, if not by his insistence, then he was sure Hedwig would hoot her displeasure at him leaving within the week. But he also suspected that her displeasure would be two fold. He then resolved to at least write a letter to Hagrid asking for advice, though he wasn't too sure if he could pursued Hedwig to leave.

Deciding to clear his mind of the two owls, he turned back to the package and gingerly opened it, hoping that the contents weren't ruined by whatever had attacked the owl. Inside he found a note and what had to be at least a dozen brochures, if not more, on various topics. Eager to read the contests, Harry sat back on his bed, shifting around to get as comfortable as he could on the old mattress in preparation for a bit of reading.

_To Mr. Harry Potter,_

_I'd be delighted to answer your questions for you, it's not often a wizard of your age looks at wills and questions their contents. In my experience, most just read them at face value. I have done my best to answer your questions, and where I could not be specific, I have provided some reading material. I will make myself available all day Friday for your convenience. When you get to the bank, just ask one of the tellers to escort you to my office._

_1. What is an 'Heir of the Estates' and what does it entail?_

_The title 'Heir of the Estates' is the legal title you carry that indicates that in the future you will be the Head of the Estates, usually called the Head of the Family. In your case, it indicates that you will be the Head of the Potter Family and all their estates. Most heirs just have to learn how to manage the estates, though some have been known to use their title to try and get privileges above their station. Most heirs usually learn how to manage their future estates after their Hogwarts graduation, as the average age of Estate Inheritance is 59. Most heirs are also given at the least a passing familiarity on how to deal with the affairs of the estate. I've enclosed two journals, one from the Black Estate and one from the Potter Estate, that record the predetermined Estate Management Training Plan that all the Potters and Blacks have used. I suggest learning by both methods, as both estates require different handling._

_2. What sort of education is needed to take over my Estates?_

_Besides the information I wrote above, it is also law that the Heir have passed their NEWTs. However, there is a law which allows for you to take management of the estates over at the age of 16 if you are enrolled in a NEWT preparatory program approved by the Ministry ( which you are ). Enclosed is a list of recommended reading about Estate Laws & Requirements, if you wish to further your knowledge. As listed in both the Potter & Black training plans, I'll have a combined Estate Management Planner ready for you on Friday, it's a training tool which allows you to make Estate decisions and shows the effects in the book, but doesn't actually effect your Estate. In the old days, Heads use to allow their Heirs to take over management of the Estates before their death if the Heir was able to manage the estates better in their Planner than the Head actually did. There's more information about that in the recommended readings. I've also enclosed a pamphlet that has more details about the Estate Management Planner._

_3. Could I have an updated list of all the properties that I own?_

_Of Course, I've enclosed a basic list with the Property Name & Location. If you want more detail's I'll have your in-depth file available on Friday for viewing._

_4. How can I get in contact with the Potter House Elves?_

_Gringotts doesn't keep track of House Elves. I'm sorry, but you could always try sending them a letter or asking an elf at Hogwarts to contact them._

_5. Was Mr. Lupin ever informed about his Inheritance of 17 Vincent Ct?_

_Since Gringotts did not execute the Potter Will, we do not have specifics. However, within the privacy policy, I can only tell you that Mr. Lupin has the deed to the property in a vault in his name. If you would like more information on the Gringott's Privacy Policy, I've included the brochure on that._

_6. Could I have a listing of all the Potter & Black "businesses and financial holdings"?_

_Of course, though the financial holdings will have to wait until Friday. Enclosed is a brief listing of the Potter & Black businesses that are public information. In depth will have to wait until Friday as the information is restricted to all except your manager. As for the Black financial holdings, those will have to wait until you are officially the Heir of the Black Estates, as those too are restricted except to the manager of the accounts. I'll have them meet us on Friday._

_7. What type of management has Gringotts been doing with the Potter "businesses and financial holdings"?_

_The only information I can give you is the pamphlet on the various standard management programs, though I believe the Potter assets are under a customized plan. I'll have your account manager give an overview for you sometime on Friday._

_8. Could I have a complete record of what is in all of my vaults?_

_Enclosed is a listing of all the vaults that are in your name, family, and/or possession as well as a brief overview of what is in each vault. Full contents would take a few days to compile as a few of the vaults are old family vaults which are in the Potter name which they obtained through marriage and there hasn't been a request for their full contents for at least 20 years. We'll have as many done as we can get by Friday._

_9. Do you have the contact information for the Lycanthropy Research Society?_

_Enclosed is their contact information + informational brochure from our philanthropy department._

_10. Could you send me information about the wealth hiding spell you use on my trust vault?_

_I'm afraid we do not use a 'wealth hiding spell' on any of our vaults. However, they is a good idea for a security option, I'll have our research team look into the possibility of it. _

_11. I've always wondered how much I've spent from my vault, well, I guess it's actually one of my vaults, but could I have a list of transactions?_

_Enclosed is a document listing all the withdrawals and transactions made on the vault over the course of the past 12 months. If you want a more in-depth record, it will cost 2 sickles for each year as after a year, the records are sealed in your vault. The cost goes towards making a copy and taking off the sealing spells._

_12. What would happen if the will executor didn't execute the will correctly?_

_Magic would not allow that. The executor is bound by their magic to do everything listed in the will on the risk of losing their magic. Though, in the case of human executors, they are given some leeway so that they don't accidently lose their magic. This is why most magical humans use Gringotts to execute their will as there are few magical humans that would risk their magic and we have a Will Execution Policy (see the enclosed brochure to read about it) that is most agreeable to customers. I've also enclosed a list of books on Will Writing and Will Executing that you could read for more information._

_13. How do I 'formally and legally' change my name to Harry James Potter-Black? Can I do this when I visit on Friday?_

_To declare it formally, you must call on the presence of magic and declare yourself to be henceforth known as 'Harry James Potter-Black'. I've enclosed directions on how to do this, though you might want to wait until Friday when you can rent one of Gringott's ritual Inheritance rooms, rental fee is 5 galleons an hour. To declare it legally, you have to fill out the enclosed forms and bring them with you on Friday, we can send them off after you formally declare yourself 'Harry James Potter-Black'. You have to do it in that order or risk being rejected as the will specifically lists the formally before the legally._

_14. What does guardianship of a property allow the guardian to do with it?_

_Guardianship allows a person to take care and maintain a property, as well as live in it and use it for their own means. It is a title that can be legally passed down. For example, the Potters are the legal guardians of several properties for Squib families until they produce a magical heir. The guardian is allowed to change the wards and key people into them as well as learn all of the house secrets, such as secret rooms or passages out of the house. Basically the only thing a guardian cannot do is sell the property. The only way a guardianship can be revoked is if the Head of the Estate revokes the privilege._

_15. Is everybody who is listed as a benefactor given a copy of the will?_

_It is Gringott's policy to send the heir of the estates a full copy of the will. However, we only send notice to the other benefactors and a partial copy of the will that contains the parts which pertain to them unless otherwise requested by the deceased. Though, any benefactor can request a copy of the full will if they would like. After a year, the full will is put into public records unless the will is under dispute._

_16. What are these 'per annum dowries' and 'trust vaults' that the Black will talks about?_

_I recommend reading a book on old family customs, as it would explain it better than I could. A lot of old families create a trust fund when a child is born and are given access to it when they start their magical education, the trust is to support them until they get married or take over one of the family businesses. The dowry is usually a tool to ensure that a daughter is married off soon after their magical education and ensures that they are able to maintain a good lifestyle in case their husband dies or the family befalls misfortune. Cutting off a daughter from their trust or dowry (or both) is a form of disowning._

_17. Is it even possible to control Mr. Dumbledore's Inheritance from Mr. Black concerning only being able to buy socks?_

_What an insightful question! We Goblins pride ourselves on our bank and due to the fact that we executed the will means that the 10,000 are guaranteed to be only spent on socks, even if it doesn't happen in Mr. Dumbledore's lifetime. The 10,000 galleons will be set aside in his family vault and every time he buys socks, the amount he spent will be taken out of the amount put to the side and added back to the funds he can spend as he wishes, which ensures that the money is only used to buy socks._

_18. What is the procedure for emancipation?_

_This is covered in many pamphlets and brochures from both the Ministry and Gringotts, which I've also included. I suggest you read them all front to back before Friday. We already have the forms signed by your parents, and a set signed by Mr. Black before his death, and all that is left is your signature. However, you have to know both the pros and cons of being emancipated. The Ministry is able to try you as an adult if you break any laws regardless of your age. You can sign the forms on Friday and then on your birthday, you'll feel the Ministry underage spells lifting, and then you'll be emancipated if you so choose to go through with it._

_May your gold grow,_

_Glinhog_

_Office of Wills and Inheritances_

_Gringotts Bank_

* * *

**Story Notes:**

Gringotts Reply - Yeah, I know it's sort of an abrupt place to end and a lot of the response is "consult such in such", don't worry, you'll see a bit of the knowledge from the various things, but just think of it like you go to the bank and they have a million brochures on loans, checking accounts, a lot of it is commen sense (a checking account is for..my oh my, checking) and features, and Harry probably won't read a lot of them, like any good banker, he snuck in a lot of unneeded brochures in hopes of Harry reading them and buying Dragon Security for his Trust Vault, or something else unneeded that would benefit the bank as well.

**Next Chapter: Dealings With Dursleys II**

Okay, this time Harry really DOES have a chat with the Dursleys...

Harry reacts to the Gringotts letter and does even more thinking...

This will probably be shorter than the other chapters, a sort of Chapter 4.5, as I've already laid out Wed, Thurs, and the beginning of Friday for Chap 5, Chap 4 justed ended up dealing with more material than I wanted to type at a time.


	5. Dealing With Dursleys II

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything, not making money off of it, etc.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Dealings With Dursleys II**

To say that the letter left Harry something to think about would be an understatement, and he didn't even have in-depth knowledge yet. Daring a glace into the box, he groaned at the sheer amount of material. But the letter had answered his questions and now he wanted to look at all these sheets the Goblin had added to the box. The first thing he pulled out was the list of his properties. The paper the list was on was lovely, it had a nice crest on it. The crest was a deep royal purple and onyx with silver lining. It was the typical shield pattern, divided in four. The upper left hand box was colored in the purple, as well as the one diagonal to it, next to and below it were the onyx colored boxes. The entire shield was outlined in a thick silver and in the center was a giant silver Swedish Short-Snout wrapped around a magnificent castle. In the top boxes were a silver Phoenix carrying a scroll labeled knowledge on the left and a pod of whales on the left around the word 'love', also in silver. In the bottom boxes were a silver griffin standing atop 'courage' and to it's left a proud lion and it's trait of 'leadership'. Next to the Potter crest was a nice header proclaiming the parchment was an official document pertaining to the Potter Estate.

_English Properties:  
Godrics Hollow, Potter Castle, Bragleton Manor, Denton Manor, Evans House, Merlins Hut, 57 Diagon Alley, 21886 Knockturn Alley, 1313 Main St, 15 Maplewood Ln  
_

_Spanish Properties:  
Villa de Aqua, Castillian House_

_French Properties:  
Lily Vinyard, Benchward Vinyard, 76 Bleu, 1013 Vine St._

_Guardian Isle  
_

_These properties that are underlined are under the guardianship of the Potter Family until the respective lines produce a magical heir, in which they can be reverted back to the management of that family.  
_

Harry's eyebrows lifted as he browsed all the properties. True, five of those properties he was only the guardian of, but still, the amount of properties were numerous. It would take a week to properly check out each property, which he didn't have. Maybe once he got in contact with the Potter House Elves, he'd be able to ask them to give him an overview of the state of the properties. They would also know which one would be best for him to move into once he was emancipated. 'That reminds me...' his thoughts turned to Dobby and he called the house elf to his room.

"Master Harry," the elf bounced, "What can Dobby be doing for you?"

"Hello Dobby, Its good to see you again. I was wondering if you knew one of the Potter House Elves, I would like to talk to them soon, I think after our trip this weekend."

The elf grinned and nodded his head, "Yes, Dobby knows the Potter Elves, if Harry Potter Sir wants me to, I'll tell them to meet you here on Monday."

Harry smiled, "Thank you Dobby, that would be brilliant."

The house elf blushed at being thanked and then stammered, "Well, if Master Harry Sir wants nothing else, Dobby has to be getting back to Hogwarts, Peeves got paint all over the Trophy Room"

Harry sent the elf off and went back to his explorations of the Gringott's box, pulling out another sheet of parchment, this time the Black Crest was on the other side of the Potter Crest with the header proclaiming the document an official accounting of the Potter and Black businesses.

_The Potter Businesses_

_Zonko's Joke Shop - 25 ownership  
Flourish & Blotts - 5 ownership  
Auntie's Antiques - 75 ownership  
Windcastor Cauldrons - 7 ownership  
Nimbus Inc - 49 ownership  
Tibbles Tea Co. - 20 ownership  
Weasley's Wizard Wheezes - 40 ownership  
Quidditch Emporium - 10 ownership  
Mystery Co. - 10 ownership  
_

Harry stopped after Mystery Co, wondering what it could sell. He smiled, 'I'd say, it's quite the Mystery' and then groaned at the lame joke he made. The list went on to list at least two dozen more companies which he had vague remembrances of. They were mostly companies that produced wares and not actual stores he had bought things from. When he got to the next page, he was startled to realize that he one read the Potter businesses, and there were another two pages, presumably all Black. Harry gaped as he started going down that list.

_The Black Businesses_

_Dervish & Bangs - 20 ownership  
Ollivanders - 10 ownership  
Comet Co - 43 ownership  
Mystery Co. - 10 ownership  
Blackwaters - 45 ownership  
Gringotts Home Security - 10 ownership_

Harry paused, he had never heard that Goblin's provided home security. He would have to look into that, maybe he could get a Goblin bodyguard or something, maybe then Dumbledore would stop having the Order around the house. 'Honestly, I'd trust the Goblins to protect me better than the Order. After all, they protect the world's treasures everyday.' Keeping the thought in mind for later, Harry resumed looking at the list, noting a few companies such as Tillyguard Apothecary and something called 'Ink Inc'. Harry thought the name to be cleaver, if not a little annoying. After he scanned the list, he put it aside.

The sudden weight of managing not only one estate but two finally sunk in and the thought scared him. He had three pages worth of companies, a lot of which he had a significant ownership of. What if he did something wrong. He dearly hope he wouldn't and brought himself to the Estate Management Program guides and skimmed them over.

Before he knew it, the time had flown by and he heard his Aunt's shrill voice penetrate his readings. He put the papers down and headed downstairs. The rest of the family was already in the kitchen. Harry gave them a nod of acknowledgment. He blocked out his Uncle as he ate, though he didn't really taste the food. All his thoughts were on the coming conversations. Every now and then, he'd catch a few words his Uncle said, it sounded mostly like he was complaining about work. Harry mentally smirked, sounds like they were giving the managers a bit of a paycut and were forcing Vernon to use his unused Vacation time, which amounted to him being at home until Mid July. Not wanting to have to deal with Vernon 24/7 for the next month and a half, Harry did some tweaking to his plans and before he knew it, his relatives were starring at him.

"Well boy, talk already," his Aunt spat. Harry figured it was as good as time as any and stood up, staring down his Uncle.

"I'll be leaving on Friday and will be back by Monday night. If other wizards come by, you will tell them that I'm in my room studying and don't want to be disturbed."

Vernon growled at Harry while a battle ensued in his head. On one hand, he wouldn't have to deal with the 'freak' for three days of his forced vacation. On the other hand, the boy was using a commanding tone with him and he didn't like it one bit. His Uncle, not one who has mastered the art of hiding his emotions, had the battle played out on his face, much to Harry's entertainment. Vernon was on the edge of blowing his gasket at Harry when Petunia spoke up.

"Why should we let a freak like you run around? You'd probably end up killing people," she spat. Her mind was also working through Harry's words. It was obvious to her that Harry was hiding something from those other freaks. Her years of being a gossip monger encouraged her to find out more. It was her dearest hope that whatever it was would end up killing the boy, getting him out of her perfect house.

"You'll let me go because I've won a contest and if the other wizards find out I'm leaving, they won't let me go to the awards ceremony. And if I don't go the awards ceremony -" Harry started explaining, speaking slowly and clearly when he was cut off.

"I bet you used your freakish abnormalities to win over honest working decent folk. In fact, that's why you shouldn't even go," huffed Vernon, earning himself a glare from Harry. This only caused him to anger even more, a vein starting to pulse in his neck.

"As I was about to say, I've won a prize for winning the contest. A vacation to Majorca and a thousand pounds. If I don't show up, the prize will be passed on."

Dudley, showing a rare moment of intellect, however misplaced, decided to make his presence in the conversation. "What would you do with our money you freak? I thought you had your kind had their own money," he sneered as his parents nodded their agreement. Harry mentally rolled his eyes, 'trust a business man to forget that people often exchange money. I wonder if it's actually vacation time or if they're preparing to lay him off.'

Turning back to the Dursleys, "Well, I was planning on giving you guys the vacation, as I have to ... collaborate ... with you to get away for four days, so I have no need for it. Since you were always saying how much of a burden I was. Ah well, if you don't really want me to go, I'm sure somebody else will enjoy their time there, all expenses paid...," he said, letting his voice drift.

Vernon and Petunia looked at each other. While they would love to see the boy knocked down a peg or twenty, but they would be fools if they passed up the opportunity for an all expense paid vacation. Plus they wouldn't have to worry about that freak.

"Fine boy, we'll play your little game, but we want everything, the vacation and the money," Vernon stated magnanimously. He felt he had proposed the best deal. Either the boy left and they got everything, or the boy stayed and was miserable. Unknown to him, this is exactly what Harry wanted to maneuver his Uncle into doing. However, he wouldn't put it past them for catching on to his plot, after all, they were greedy, but not stupid when it came to their nephew. If he showed he was too eager, they would get too suspicious.

Harry glared at them, "I'll give you the vacation and 900 pounds, but I need the other 100 for the taxi and the hotel for the awards ceremony."

"100 pounds! Outrageous! You'll only get 50 pounds, that should be enough for any slum worthy of your kind," spat Petunia who was already mentally cataloguing what she would have to do over the weekend to prepare for the vacation and what they would do with the 1,000 pounds, which she was already thinking of as theirs. This caused Harry to emit an annoyed growl as he clenched his teeth and spat back at them, "Fine" and added under his breath, "I'll just be glad to be rid of you for awhile."

With the meeting over, Harry went up to his room, leaving his relatives to plot, plan, and gloat over their seeming victory over Harry. Once he was in his room, he allowed himself a grin. 'If there were was thing that could be said about a Dursley would be that they always settle for greed.' he thought. He then sighed and pulled out a piece of parchment. Unlike the Dursleys, he didn't have time to gloat over his true victory. He had only planned on giving them enough money to take a small vacation, but with Vernon on a forced vacation, he doubt they would have the money to stay away the entire time. While he was out, he would have to remember to buy a round-trip vacation package to Majorca now. Harry then took out a quill and a bottle of ink. There were more pressing matters to deal with.

Harry dipped the quill in the ink and started to compose a quick letter to Hagrid outlining his owl patient's symptoms and asking for any advice or help the friendly half giant could impart to him. He only hoped that Hagrid would be able to help him and that whatever had hurt the Gringotts' owl would not harm Hedwig. Sealing the envelope, he walked over to the two owls. Hedwig was watching their patient as he rested on her perch. At Harry petting her head, she turned to him and he spoke to her, "Hey girl, how's our favorite patient doing?"

At her droll hoot, Harry surmised that he wasn't any better than he was before.

"In that case, could you deliver this to Hagrid? He should be able to help us..." Harry started to explain, stroking her feathers. At her commanding hoots, which Harry imagined Mrs. Weasley would sound like if she were an owl, Harry allowed himself a chuckle. From the side, he also noted the patient seemed to have an amused look at his nurse's mothering behavior. Hedwig nipped Harry's finger at his chuckle and glared at him. Though he was laughing on the inside, Harry threw his hands in the air, "I surrender, Madam Hedwig. Honestly, you're worse than Madam Pomphrey. I think I've been spending too much time in the Hospital Wing if she's been rubbing off on you." Harry noticed that Hedwig was still glaring at him and before she could nip him again, he adopted a more serious tone, "Don't worry girl, I'll make sure he's comfortable while you're gone. Feel free to nip Hagrid if he takes too long in responding."

Seemingly satisfied with her owner, Hedwig put out her foot. Harry, not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, quickly tied the letter to her leg and watched as she gently butted her head against the other owl before taking off. This only made Harry even more certain that Hedwig had a bit more than motherly feelings towards their friendly neighborhood Gringotts' owl. He looked at his patient and adopted a serious tone, "I hope you'll be providing me with lots and lots of grandchildren, I'm sure Mrs. Weasley would love some great grandchildren as well." This earned him a glare from his patient this time before the patient turned towards the water bowl and took another sip before he went back to sleep.

Harry smiled and went back to his bed. He decided he would leave the rest of the Estate surprises for the next day and picked up the brochure on the Gringotts' Privacy Policy. The information was interesting and he found out that not even his guardian could get a full account of the vaults without his express permission. However, he also found out that anybody who had a key would be able to access information about the contents of the vault if the key was freely given. To say that it unnerved him that the Weasleys could have obtained his information without his knowledge kind of worried him. 'Not that the Weasleys would actually do that, but it's the principal of the idea.'

Finishing the Privacy Policy brochure, Harry glanced over the titles of a few advertisement brochures that managed to be 'slipped' into the box. Some of them were amusing. The idea of having an moat installed in front of his trust vault amused him. Though, nothing could beat the portable Goblin advisor. It was the latest in the Goblin advisor products. It looked just like the action figures Harry saw at the World Cup, but they were in the form of your account manager and it was connected to Gringotts and would give you up to date advice... for the low low price of 10,000 galleons a month.

The only advertisement brochure that he was actually interested in was for the Gringott's bank card. It was the only thing that seemed worth the price. For an initial start-up fee of 500 galleons, and then 50 galleons per year, you could have the wizarding equivalent to a debit card. While the start-up fee seemed steep, reading through the information, it seemed necessary, the charms were very complicated from the sound of it, and they had to be individually tailored to the user. Harry was impressed at the level of security as well, the card was not only tied to his touch, but also to his magical signature and blood. Nobody would be able to fool the card into thinking that the imposter was it's owner. Plus it worked in both the magical and muggle worlds. The only difference was that there was no machinery required in the wizarding world. Just swipe the card over the top of the bill and the second the money finished transferring, the parchment would stamp itself paid.

Harry decided to sign up for the program on Friday. It would help him a lot over his visit to not have to keep going to his vault to get money if he ran out. Plus he didn't have any experience with the pound-to-galleon exchange rate, and the muggle side would take care of that problem. He didn't want to be caught in Muggle London without enough money when he went to buy clothing. As it was, he only had a small stash of muggle money he traded Hermione for over the years when she ran out of Wizarding Money during Hogsmeade trips.

Between his readings and taking care of his patient, the time flew by and before he knew it, it was time for bed. With a glance out the window, Harry changed into his pajamas and laid down on his bed. He was a bit apprehensive of falling asleep. In the end he rationalized that Hedwig would undoubtably wake him when she returned and he allowed sleep to overtake him.

A few hundred miles away, a snowy white owl descended on the rather large hut located half a mile away from the most prestigious magical school in the country. Pecking at the window, the owl grew frustrated at the sleeping half giant within. Now, this owl was smarter than a lot of owls care to be and when the half giant didn't wake up, she decided to take sterner measures. She flew down to the ground and started to try picking up stones. Once she was able to pick up a stone of a good size, she flew up and dived towards the window, releasing the rock so that it crashed through the window, waking up the giant known as Hagrid.

With a surprised roar, Hagrid looked around clutching his umbrella when he noticed Hedwig fly through the broken window. Before he could get in a word edge wise, the owl pecked him and dangled the letter in front of him.

"Calm down 'Edwig! 'Ere, I'll get the Letteh," said Hagrid as he detached the window. He glanced over the contents and the reasoning why his friend's owl was acting most unusually became clear. Hagrid went over to a cabinet and took out a vial of a burn potion for owls and put it in a box with some bandages and then quickly wrote some instructions for Harry.

Hedwig stood watching the half giant impatiently. Twenty minutes later, Hagrid tied the package to Hedwig and she flew off, in her opinion, after too long of a wait.

Back in the hut, Hagrid chuckled, he had seen this type of behavior in owls all too often. It seemed that Harry's owl liked whoever their patient owl was. He picked up his umbrella discreetly and repaired his window. Nobody would ever know as the half giant went back to bed.

Two hours later, Hedwig saw the familiar landscape of Surrey and she started on her decent to number 4 Privet Dr. When she noticed her owner sleeping, she pecked him on the hand. After Harry woke up, he opened the package and carefully administered the potion to their patient and bandaged his wings. Satisfied with her owner's work, Hedwig settled herself next to the patient and soon afterwards, everybody was asleep again.

* * *

**Story Notes:**

Business List - Sorry I didn't include a fully detailed list. I'm afraid my creativity at making up business names isn't that good. Some of the businesses have their side story that will come into play sometime in the story, but a lot of them are just there to explain why the Potters are so rich - they're good investors.

Time line - Yeah, a lot happened during this set of 24 hours, don't worry, not every day will be this in-depth. After his trip, the Time line should speed up more, After all, it wouldn't do to have ½ the story be during the summer when the main point of the story resides at Hogwarts!

Harry's attitude - Yeah, he's still angry with Dumbledore, but he's matured a bit and refuses to let Dumbledore get him down. After all, it never worked with his 'family'. Besides, who wouldn't be in better spirits if their favorite owl was so obviously crushing on another owl?

Foreign Properties - Sorry, I don't know any language beyond English and so I wasn't quite sure what to call the streets.

Other Characters - The next few chapters will be Harry-centric. It won't be until the time line Monday until you see what's been going on with everybody else. It's currently Wednesday on the time line.

**Next Chapter: The Great Escape**  
+After all this talk about Gringotts, Harry finally steps foot in the building.  
+Harry accidently introduces Dobby to the wonderful world of cheesy escape music of the Mission Impossible variety


	6. The Great Escape

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything, not making money off of it, etc.

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Great Escape**

The remaining days passed by without incident. Harry spent all his time just reading his textbooks and the information Glinhog had sent him. He had finished reading and making his own potions charts, he couldn't wait to see if there was anything available that was like a computer in the wizarding world. If there wasn't, he would have to see about commissioning it, after all, he did have money now. Now he was starting on his History books. It amazed him that he had relied on Hermione rather than reading the textbooks, some of the chapters were actually interesting and surprisingly enough, only a third of the book was on the Goblin Wars.

It was finally Friday Morning, he had spent the night tossing and turning in fitful dreams of being caught. When 4:30 AM rolled around, he got out of bed and got ready for the day. He pulled his book satchel out of his trunk and stuffed his invisibility cloak in it, his left over money from his last visit, some quills and parchment, and his shopping lists. By the time he was done getting dressed, checking to make sure everything was set, and then rechecking that everything was set, Harry sat on his bed, waiting for Dobby to arrive.

After several minutes, Dobby appeared with a soft pop. Before he could say a word, Harry motioned for the elf to be quiet and whispered, "Dobby, we have to be quiet to make sure we don't wake up my... relations. Can you do your magic?" To which Dobby nodded and snapped his fingers. Harry quickly put on his invisibility cloak. "Thanks Dobby, now we're going to walk to the muggle bus station, try not to be seen by the Muggles, though there shouldn't be that many out this early," Harry whispered as he snuck quietly down the stairs, avoiding the creaking stairs. Dobby nodded again and soon they were on their way.

As they were walking along Privet Drive, Harry started to hum a tune from a movie Dudley had watched that just came out in America, something called Mission:Impossible. Uncle Vernon had some connections at work that got a copy of it for him. Of course, Harry wasn't allowed to watch it, but he did hear it all the way from his bedroom and so he got the general gist of the movie. If nothing else stuck, the theme tune did. When Dobby inquired about the song, it led them into a discussion, or rather a one-sided explanation, about spy movies and how they were sort of like the spies and that they too were going on their own impossible mission.

They were so wrapped up in the world of espionage that they didn't notice when they arrived at the Fairlawn Drive bus stop. As luck would have it, for Harry at least, they only had to wait 15 minutes for the next bus to London. Though, the entire 15 minutes was spent by Dobby obsessing over being a secret agent for Harry. On the other hand, those were some of the tensest moments in Harry's life, he couldn't help thinking that somebody from the Order would catch him any minute now. 'It's rather odd, I wonder if this is how the Death Eaters feel like when they go out on raids, looking over your shoulder to see if your plans have been foiled,' Harry couldn't help musing. Harry looked around him, all the lights on the block were still out. He interrupted Dobby's humming to make sure nobody was watching them and then took the invisibility cloak off himself and let Dobby wear it. The house elf was bouncing, but wisely kept quiet after that, though he longed to tell Harry that it was an honor to use the cloak of such a great wizard. Once on the bus, the ride was rather uneventful, though Harry was content to watch out the window, he had never ridden one of the busses before and so most of the scenery was new to him.

A few bus switches and about two hours later, Harry and Dobby got off the bus a few blocks away from the Leaky Cauldron. As they walked along the muggle shops, Harry noticed a muggle thrift shop and decided to make a bit of a detour into the place. After all, the clothing there looked ten times better than the rags he was wearing, and at least they'd fit. He did reason he would be able to buy a top of the line wardrobe, if he so chose, in a few hours, but he was still a bit squeamish with the prospect of being rich and so he was quite content to browse the thrift shop. After picking out a nice black t-shirt with a cartoon Dragon on it and a pair of black jeans that fit, he made his way to the counter when he noticed an area with sunglasses. 'Well, they wouldn't hurt, plus they would hide my eyes, next to my scar, they're the second thing people look for,' he thought. He picked out a simple pair with black frames and tinted glass. He'd have to ask Dobby to transfigure or conjure a merge between the sunglasses and his glasses once they got to the Leaky Cauldron. As a last thought, he picked up a black hat that covered most of his scar, and if he positioned his hair right, the scar was completely covered. He brought his purchases up and bought them with the remainder of his Muggle currency. He asked the owner if he could change into his purchases and 27 minutes after he had entered the store, he exited the store with a new look.

The pair walked the rest of the way to the Leaky Cauldron and once inside Harry made his way over to Tom, avoiding the few people in the bar at the hour.

"Hey Tom," Harry greeted, sitting himself up on a barstool, "I was wondering if I could book a room for today, tomorrow, and Sunday? I also wouldn't say no to a butterbeer and a nice English breakfast." Tom grinned.

"Harry, it's always a pleasure to see you. You can have room 7," he replied, tossing Harry the key, "I'll just make you a tab and give you a final bill before you leave, of course if you don't pay it within 24 hours, I'll just send the bill to Gringotts and have them remove it from your accounts, in case you have to suddenly up and leave. And I'll be right back with your order."

"Thanks Tom, I trust you'll be discrete, I don't want anybody to know I've been here, not even Dumbledore."

Tom raised his eyebrows at that statement, but wisely just nodded in acquiesced. After Tom arrived with the order, things settled down and they conversed about a variety of topics from Quidditch to the best way to eat a Chocolate Frog when Harry declared that he had to get to Gringotts. He bade Tom farewell and walked out the back door.

"Thanks Dobby, so far so good, you can take off the cloak now. Oh, and do you think you could somehow combine these sunglasses and my glasses, I'd like to see and be able to hide my eyes..." Harry trailed off as he folded his cloak and put it in his bag. Dobby grinned, "Yes, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby can combines them. Watch!' Dobby took the two pairs and in a snap they were replaced by one pair. Harry tried them on and found that he could see just like he was wearing his regular glasses. Harry grinned, "You're awesome Dobby, thank you!" to which Dobby blushed.

Harry took out his wand and tapped the bricks and in front of his eyes, the wall morphed into the familiar archway of Diagon Alley. Harry couldn't help smiling, it had been awhile since he had been to Diagon Alley on favorable business, but there would be time to browse later. The two made their way to Gringotts and entered, making their way to an open stall.

"Key Please," snarled the Goblin at the counter, though Harry wasn't fooled. It seemed that Goblins could snarl and sound bored at the same time without canceling out the effect of either gesture. This did bring up a bit of apathy towards the teller as Harry thought about how boring it would be day in and day out asking for keys. Of course, he had no idea about the Gringotts Teller rotation.

"Ah, sorry, but I'm not here to make a withdrawal," started Harry, pausing as the Goblin's eyebrow rose a fraction of a centimeter, "I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction to a Mr. Glinhog. I believe he's in the Department of Wills and Inheritances."

The Goblin looked up from his book and glanced at the customer, "Ah, Mr. Pot--" only to be abruptly cut off by Dobby, who, in a loud whisper, told the Goblin, "Shhh Agent Seeker sir and Agent Socks needs _secrecy_. Bad men could be after Master Agent Seeker sir!"

Harry had no idea when Dobby had given them 'Agent' names, or when he seemed to have agreed to them. Putting that aside, Harry looked back to the Teller who seemed to have a sudden hesitation in his speech. Harry didn't blame him either, it wasn't likely that Gringotts Goblins watched American Spy Movies.

"Ah... yes... I see... very well then...," the Goblin stammered, before pointing to an opening across to his far left, "Down that hall until you reach the first hallway on your left, go down that hallway until you reach a door on your right hand side labeled the Department of Wills and Inheritances. You should find his office in there." With that, he quickly looked back down at his book and ignored the two in front of him, in dear hopes that whatever they had caught wasn't contagious and that he wasn't going to visit poor Glinhog in the next month or so.

Aside from Dobby acting a bit stranger than normal, Glinhog's office wasn't hard to find. With a tentative knock, the two stood outside the door.

"Enter," came the brisk command from the goblin within. Harry opened the door and took a quick glance around the room. It was your standard office, a big wooden desk which screamed of wealth, cabinets full of files, and, of course, the various battle paraphernalia on the walls. He wasn't too sure if those were real blood stains on the armor, or if it was really magically preserved dried blood on the battle ax above the picture of what could have been Glinhog's family. In fact, he would rather not dwell on those things, and so he turned back to the Goblin in question.

"Greetings and Gold be with you Mr Potter, and guest," Glinhog started, humans could really be too slow at times, After all, time was as good as gold.

"Oh, sorry Mr. Glinhog, this is my friend, Dobby," said Harry, indicating the house elf at his side, before he took a seat in front of the Goblin.

"Indeed, now let's get to business...," and with that started the process that took a few hours of signing papers and various reports. It was mostly technical and boring. Dobby just nodded through the whole thing, being honored at getting to stay for the entire thing. Most of it just went over Harry's head. He had taken math in Muggle School, but they didn't exactly teach the sort of things that the Goblins were telling him. Even all the reading he had done from the recommendations Mr. Glinhog had given him had not prepared him for what was being spoken.

It wasn't until they got to the part where Harry would declare himself Mr. Potter-Black did he start understanding what they were talking about.

"Okay, Mr. Potter, we have all the paper work done and sent off, now it's time to declare your name, if you'll follow me," Glinhog started as Harry and Dobby headed for the door, "Ah, Mr. Dobby will have to stay behind." Dobby was a bit upset by this, judging by his wide eyes and look for confirmation from Harry. Harry just nodded and followed the Goblins down twisting corridors before being loaded into a cart. He lost track of his surroundings before the cart halted in front of a door.

"Okay, we have everything set up, when you enter, you'll have to change into the ceremonial robes we have provided, which of course was already charged to your account. After you've done that, you will walk into the main chamber. Our Ritual Master will then instruct you in what to say. I'll be back in half an hour," and with that, Glinhog hopped back into the cart and sped off leaving Harry in front of the door.

Hesitantly touching the doorknob, after all, he wasn't sure if it was enchanted like a vault, Harry opened the door without being cursed. He looked around the antechamber, it was rather bare. The only thing of note was the rob hanging on the wall. It was beautiful. The outer robe was full length and in a rich purple color with a iridescent gold sheen with various gold runes stitched across the bottom. The inner robe was a pure white with a silver sheen to it with a gold sash to tie around the waist. He briefly pondered if he would be able to keep the robe while he was putting it on.

When he was finally ready, he went through the doors where an elderly looking Goblin dressed in white and gold and holding a gnarled staff was waiting, hovering over a book on a pedestal.

"Ah, the soon to be Mr. Potter-Black. I see you're ready. Stand in the middle of the pentagram, I will be chanting, when the presence of magic makes itself known to you, you have to say to it's representation the following: 'I henceforth and forevermore shed the name of Harry James Potter and declare myself to be known as Harry James Potter-Black, Heir of the House of Potter and the House of Black. In the presence of Magic I declare it to be so and so shall it be known.'" The elderly Goblin had Harry practice saying it a few times until he could recite it perfectly before ushering him into the middle of the pentagon.

Once Harry was in the middle of the pentagon, the Goblin started chanting, though it was so low and rapid that Harry couldn't make out what he was saying. He felt a bit foolish before he felt a sudden rush of energy. A bright light descended from the ceiling of the chamber before taking a corporeal form in front of Harry. For a moment, he almost forgot his purpose as he stared at the form Magic decided to present itself to him before the background chanting broke his thoughts.

Harry looked straight into the eyes of Magic and soundly stated, "I henceforth and forevermore shed the name of Harry James Potter and declare myself to be known as Harry James Potter-Black, Heir of the House of Potter and the House of Black. In the presence of Magic I declare it to be so and so shall it be known."

The presence of Magic smiled and lifted its hand and cupped Harry's cheek and smiled, nodded, and then turned back into a bright light before disappearing. With a final chant, the Goblin elder finished the ritual before turning back to Harry, "That was rather intriguing, it's the first time I've ever heard of magic choosing a human form. If I may ask, did you recognize the form it took?"

Harry just turned back to the Goblin elder, "Yeah, my mother..." before he turned back to the door and exited the chamber, his mind not fully in the present as his head went over the implications of the form Magic took. In his reading of the pamphlets, it said that Magic took the form of an animal and was rumored to be your animagus form, though it has not been proven as the ritual has never been performed on an animagus and recorded. He would have to do some research into it, but he did not know where he would start with it.

When Glinhog pulled up, Harry, still dressed in the ceremonial robes, stepped in and off they sped and in no time, they were back in Glinhog's Office. After having the Goblin shrink all the files and kits he had been persuaded to purchase into a bag, except for his Gringotts Bank Card, the pair left Gringotts. Putting his mother and Magic into the back of his head, Harry and Dobby, armed with his bank card, made their way down Diagon Alley, after all, he had the rest of the summer to figure that out, besides the fact that he really didn't feel up to dealing with it at the moment.

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**Story Notes:**

Their Escape - Yes, it was a bit too easy. Don't worry, there will be a bit of trouble coming up.

**Next Chapter: Do you smell what I smell? **

Harry decides that money is really too much of a hassle and runs away to the Alps and lives as a mountain man... okay, not really, but if you haven't already figured it out, Harry and Dobby start their shopping spree!

Ut oh, who's that coming out of the Apothecary? And why do they recognize Harry? Oops, somebody forgot to put their disguise back on...


	7. Do You Smell What I Smell?

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything, not making money off of it, etc.

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**Chapter 7: Do you smell what I smell?**

The sun was shining, the owls were hooting, there was a 35 percent off all frog parts sale at the Apothecary, and he was alive. Everything should be great and life couldn't be better. At least, that was what he told himself for the 5th time since he paid for his purchases at the Apothecary. The man sighed, patted his pocket where his shrunken purchases laid, located his wand, and looked from the shaded awning to the brightly lit Alley. His eyes were drawn to Zonko's and he sighed again and stood in place.

'Come on, snap out of it, the light won't hurt' 'But the memories do...' the internal argument waged in his head before he decided to take the plunge, the sooner he left the safety of his shadows, the quicker he could return to his apartment and brew his dreamless sleep, and then the sooner he could sleep without the dreams. 'The dreams...'

The man sighed again, closed his eyes and took a step out from under the shade only to find himself on the ground with another man and a pain in his rear from unexpectedly hitting the ground.

"Oh, Oh, I'm sorry about that. Here, let me help you up Mr. -- ," the man started, happily allowing his earlier thoughts to be brushed aside and extending a hand. He looked over the young man he ran into and cringed inside. 'He looks so much like him...,' the though passed through his mind as he saw the mid-length black hair and crystal blue eyes looking back at him.

"Remus," the man on the ground spoke, though Remus could tell it was laced with a bit of fear. This was later shown when the man looked down at his clothing and then touched the top of his head and then looked all around him. The behavior was a bit odd, but it mostly escaped Remus' notice as his thoughts went on a whirlwind. Who was this man who looked so much like Sirius and knew his name?

"Ex... Excuse me? Do I know you," he hesitantly asked, finally taking in the young man's clothing. It was beautiful, the purple and white and the way the light danced upon it. Deciding that a small sniff wouldn't hurt anybody, and if it were indeed somebody he knew, he should recognize the smell, he smelled the man. The man thing he smelled was panic 'why is he so worried?', followed by fear 'maybe he knows I'm a werewolf...', the thought depressed him. The depression was quickly replaced by astonishment as he recognized the smell of the person as he choked out in disbelief, "...Harry?"

The sun was shining, the owls were hooting, he was richer than Malfoy, and he was about to embark on what he thought would be the shopping trip that would change him for the better. Everything was great, if you ignored the questions and thoughts he pushed to the back of his mind, and life couldn't be better, if you ignored the present danger he was always in. At least he wasn't in danger at the present moment, he told himself to his last thought as he made he way down Diagon Alley, looking for a traveling shop. He looked all around and was distracted often by the bright displays and had to hold his course a many of times. First thing he had to do was make sure he had his alibi for the Dursleys purchased in case he had to skip the Alley early.

Approaching the Apothecary, he spotted his destination just two doors beyond and quickened his step. After this, he could start with the stuff he needed. His head filled with books and magical gadgets, he wasn't looking where he was going and the next thing he knew, he was on the ground. The man who ran into him quickly got up, brushed the dust off his robes and extended a hand.

Harry looked up and then froze in a slight state of panic. 'I'm done for, caught before I got started. At least I finished my business at Gringotts. But now Dumbledore will know it was all a set up. He'll probably station Moody at the house every day now.' Then a thought dawned on him, a thought that could only make sense in the magical world and hold a higher probability of being true than in the muggle, 'Wait... calm down... Maybe it's not Remus. Maybe, Maybe it's Polyjuice. Or, Or maybe there's another person who looks like Remus, maybe he had a brother he never told me about...'

"Remus," he asked, hoping beyond hope that it wasn't. He belatedly berated himself as he realized that Remus didn't recognize him. 'Wait...,' His thoughts froze as he looked down and realized he never changed back into his 'disguise'. In a slight panic, he started feeling around for his things, he was in the ceremonial robes, and where was his hat? 'He should have recognized me by now without the hat and glasses. Stupid... I can't believe I forgot the glasses and hat. And where was Dobby?'

Harry looked around him to see if he could spot the house elf but couldn't see him anywhere, 'So much for bringing me back there if I were in trouble...'. His thoughts were broken when Remus spoke again, "Ex... Excuse me? Do I know you?"

'This is great, he still doesn't recognize me, maybe I could play this off. Maybe I should say I heard about him from a friend of a friend. Ah, that's no good, he'd ask questions. Maybe..., " but then his thoughts, and his body as well, froze with the next words that came out of Remus' mouth, "...Harry?"

The jig was up, he was caught, he was done for. Maybe he could sneak another owl to Hermione with a bag of galleons and ask her to send him some books at least. Once again, broken from his plotting, Remus asked a bit louder, "Harry? What are you doing here? You're suppose to be at the Dursleys... You-Know-Who is out looking for you..."

Snapped back to the present, Harry quickly shushed Remus, "Not here, let's go back to the Leaky Cauldron, I have a room there and we can talk." Remus looked a bit apprehensive, but agreed and they made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron.

After Tom left his room, a set of tea between the two men, and the strongest privacy spells Remus could cast around them, the werewolf looked at the last connection to Sirius he had left and waited. Harry, on the other hand, twiddled his thumbs. During the walk to the room and the wait for the tea, he had thought about the situation he was in. He had some questions for Remus, but he would have to tell him everything. He dearly wanted to, Remus was one of the few connections he had to his parents, and now Sirius, but he just didn't know where Remus stood. If Remus told Dumbledore about his suspicions, then he wasn't sure what Dumbledore would do, but it probably wouldn't be good.

"So...," Harry started, "I suppose you want to know what I'm doing in Diagon Alley when I'm suppose to be at the Dursleys..." With Remus' affirmative nod, Harry decided to continue, at the last second deciding to come as clean as he dared.

"I got a few letters from Dumbledore since I got back. It seems I'm not allowed to leave Privet Drive all summer due to Voldemort's number one priority being that he wants to kill me. However, I know for a fact that Voldemort is laying low for the rest of the summer to lull the wizarding world into a false sense of security. Yes, it was a vision, and no, it wasn't a fake. I saw the meeting and Snape wasn't there at all, and then Dumbledore sends a letter saying Snape brings back information opposite of what went on. No, Dumbledore's making that up."

"Harry, how can you be sure? Dumbledore would never lie to the Order..." before Remus could continue, Remus cut him off again.

"Those false visions Voldemort sent, none of them were his plans. He manipulated my dreams and in them I was always myself searching for the door. In the vision with... with Sirius... I was myself. In the vision I had of the snake and this one, I was Voldemort. I saw through his eyes, I felt the power at both ends of his curses, not just the receiving end."

Remus looked nervous, "Why didn't you tell Dumbledore, he never said anything of you having another vision..."

"What would you have done? I had a vision, it was important - yes, but it wasn't information that would save anybody, so I let it wait until morning. Before I sent it though, I got the letter from the Headmaster saying the opposite of what happened. So I did what I had to do, I kept the information from him so I could try to figure out what he was doing. I was confused Remus. I had just gotten the Wills from Gringotts, a letter from Sirius, everything was just... too much."

Harry sighed and then looked at Remus. Remus, for his part, was taking this pretty well. Maybe Snape had decided to try and make Harry's life miserable and fed the Headmaster the wrong information to keep Harry with his relatives all summer. Then his thoughts registered what Harry had said in the last part, "You... You got a letter from Sirius?... Harry, cub...he's dead...how is it possible?"

Harry got up from his seat and took out the letter from his bag and handed it to Remus, "I don't mind if you read it... but I suppose I should continue on with my story first." At Remus' nod, he continued.

"It was after the bombardment of letters and wills and information that led me to this trip. The main reason I suppose for leaving is that I had to change my last name to Potter-Black, and to do that I had to use the Gringotts' ritual chambers and ritual master, as I don't know how to do that on my own. But, I will admit this trip had other purposes, besides having to bribe my relatives into covering me and well, letting me leave for a few days. I was also hoping to find some books so I can make sense of everything. I have a bunch of kits from Gringotts that will help me learn the information about the Potter and Black Estates, but... I suppose now that I have all these questions and little else to do for the summer, I need books to research and learn from.

For one thing, I never knew there was a lycanthropy research society. What other societies are out there? Are there Wizarding Charities? What about Orphanages? Is there a sort of wizarding Social Services? What about the spells they don't teach you at Hogwarts? What about Magical Theory? Sure, we learn the basics behind each spell we learn, but what about the overall picture? I was reading my history book and learned there was a history of the world outside of Goblin Revolutions."

"That's all well and good, but you could have owled me and I would have sent you whatever you needed," the ever logical Remus supplied.

Harry sighed in his mind, it seemed he would have to go even deeper, "Remus, how come you've never invited me over to 17 Vincent Ct.? No Offense, but you dress worse than me and I know my parents left you money. I can understand not wanting to use my parents money or something, I would have felt that way about the Black Heirship unless I had not read the letter he sent."

"What are you talking about, Harry? I know your parents lived at 17 Vincent Ct. before they moved to Godric's Hollow...But I'm sure they sold the place, it would be trespassing if we went there without the owner's permission. Though, if you're that adamant about it, I could write them a letter and ask Albus if I could take you during one of the Hogsmeade weekends next year. As for the money, I'm not sure what you're talking about there either, all I got were James' Diaries."

Harry cringed, at least that hunch was correct, and then he sighed before pulling another document out of his bag. "Remus, I think you should read this. I'm going to go to the Travel Shop...I need to at least buy a vacation for my relatives before you send me back there. Don't worry, Dobby will be with me, if there's any trouble, he'll bring me back here before he sends me back to the Dursleys. Right Dobby?"

Out of nowhere, Dobby appeared, "Yes Agent Seeker, Sir! Agent Socks will Protect you and bring you back to Agent Loopy!"

Inwardly Harry cringed at the name for Remus, 'Agent Loopy? ...' With a nod from Remus, the pair left the room for the travel shop.

The Alley was just as bright and sunny as it was before, this time however, Harry was extra careful. It wouldn't do to Run into somebody else, say Snape for instance. With Remus, at least he could see if he'd help him, but Snape would probably call him an arrogant child, stun him, and then get the answer from his mind and leaving him with a headache and no headache potion. Double checking that he had his hat on and glasses, he made his way out the door when it came back to him.

"Dobby... How come Remus couldn't recognize me even without the hat and glasses?"

"Oh, Agent Socks put a glamour on you when we left the bank. We secret agents needs to be tricksy too."

"Ah, Thanks Dob..erm, I mean, Agent Socks"

Dobby broke into a grin at being called that, not that Harry could see it as the house elf had gone invisible once they left the bar.

They finally reached the shop and whatever Harry had been expecting, this wasn't it. Not only did it seem to be a travel agency of sorts, but it also was a shop for travelers. To his left was a trunk section, in the back were tents, and in the middle were various provisions as well as a book section to the right. Deciding to look at the items later, as he did tell Remus he was going to the Travel shop, he never said he would not buy anything else besides the vacation for the Dursleys...

After buying the all expense paid vacation for the Dursleys, thankfully they did have muggle-safe packages as well, he went to browsing the shop and looking over the various merchandising. He went to the trunk and backpack sections first, as he left his own bag at the Leaky Cauldron and if he bought anything, it would have to be relatively hidden.

He looked at the trunks first. There were big trunks, small trunks, even a trunk in the shape of a buzzard (the salesman refused to tell him the story behind it). There were trunks for Potion Master (equipped with the latest safety and preserving features for the Potions Master on the go), Traveling Salesmen (An extra security compartment for money and two expanded compartments for merchandise), and trunks for Aurors (with an extra room to keep prisoners if portkeys to cells weren't available). What caught his eye the most was the trunk for the traveling scholar.

While it wasn't much to look at on the outside, the features were very impressive. It was a 7 compartment trunk, though it only looked like it held 3 from the outside. The first three compartments were the basic expanded compartments that could hold anything from clothing to quills to potions. The fourth compartment was what held his interest the most. It was a complex compartment that held books, according to the brochure, it could hold up to 10,000 books, but it also came with instructions on how to convert one of the first three compartments into another book storage compartment, allowing you to hold up to 40,000 books. Not that he figured he would ever even own 4 million books, but he was certain if he knew a copying spell, he could copy at least 1/4 of the hogwarts library before he would have to buy another trunk. That wasn't the only brilliant feature, there were detection spells that would detect all the information needed for the index whenever he placed a new book into the trunk and would update the index automatically. It also put a retrieval spell on all the books, so if he was attacked by a wild hippogriff and he dropped his prized book on mushrooms, he could tap his wand to the index, say the spell, and all the books not in the trunk would return immediately. It would be handy, if not cool, to have. 'Hermione would probably love to have one', he thought. The fifth compartment was a pantry of sorts. The person would have to supply the food, but it kept it fresh for up to five years. The sixth compartment was for 'housing needs', which the brochure provided basic information on specials on sleeping bags, tents, and hotels. So if somebody was camping, you would store your tent in there along with any other oversized items you might have. The seventh compartment was a walk-in room, it was completely bare, though it was a decent size. It was said most scholars who bought this model usually connected it to the 4th compartment and made it a study.

He decided to buy one and brought it up to the counter to purchase once he was done browsing and looked at the tents next. They were interesting, he couldn't help comparing the models they had to the ones he saw at the Quidditch Cup, but in the end decided he didn't really need one. He couldn't really disappear during the day with the Order watching the house, and once he was emancipated, he had more than enough places he could call home.

The next Aisle he hit was the food aisle. The packages were the size of a matchbox and held 4 of the specified meal and just required a tap of the wand to enlarge the meal, fully cooked, to it's proper size. It looked to be the wizarding equivalent of TV Dinners, though a whole lot nicer. Due to their size, there were hundreds of meals available. Since he didn't really have any time, he asked the assistant to bill five of each flavor to his order and to put them in the food compartment for him.

The next three aisles contained various traveling knickknacks. Everything from translators to sneakoscopes. There was even a pebble that would glow if there was a magical creature in the area. He didn't really see the need for most of the objects, but he did buy 'The Travelers' First Aid Kit' and a 'Language Absorber'. The Language Absorber didn't automatically allow the person to know a language, but it did help the user learn the language faster. Even if he had no current relative use, it was rather cool. Plus he thought it would be funny if he learned a foreign language and started speaking to the Dursleys in it, they would probably think he was casting a spell at them by calling them ducks in German or something.

The last section he hit was the book section. There were a lot of books that were the wizarding equivalent of muggle travel books. Some of them were pretty interesting, but as he didn't think he'd be able to travel anytime soon, he only picked up 'The Big Book of Magical Communities' from the locations section. In the language section, he took one book for every language they had, after all, with the language pendant, he could probably learn them all eventually. He also picked up a few books on foreign customs and 'What Every Traveler Should Know Before Traveling (Self Updating Edition)' before heading back to the counter.

After paying for his purchases using his new card, he packed the books in the library compartment and everything else in the first compartment before having the clerk shrink it for him. Before he left though, he was given the trunk manual. He stuck the travel information into the pages of the manual, put the trunk in his pocket, and left the shop to go back to the Leaky Cauldron. He had spent more time in there then he had intended and was surprised Remus, or the Order, weren't combing the streets looking for him.

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**Story Notes:**

Harry's Glamour - In case it wasn't clear, he doesn't look exactly like Sirius. It would be like comparing two people who have the same hair color and eyes, yeah, they're the same, but the two people look different. Remus just thought he looked a lot like Sirius because that's who he was thinking of right before he ran into Harry.

**Next Chapter: Double Trouble**

- How will Remus react to the letter and the will? Will he turn Harry in or join Dobby in his world of Secret Agents?

- Will Harry be able to get some information from Remus about the Marauders' Tower?


	8. Double Trouble

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything, not making money off of it, etc**  
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**Chapter 8 : Double Trouble**

Remus sat in the chair and waited until Harry closed the door before he looked at the two documents in his hands. With a slight tremble, he opened the one from Sirius first and read it. With a smile, he took his wand out and faithfully recited the creed of the Marauders', "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," and watched as the handwriting changed.

He read through the note, a small smile creeping up on his face. The letter was very Sirius, even if it wasn't pranked. He hadn't known that Sirius had keyed Harry into the tower. In fact, now that he thought about it, this was the first time he thought about the tower in years.

As he thought about the old times, he didn't notice the letter add some writing at the bottom. A few moments later, however, he did notice it.

_Moony,_

_I charmed the parchment on the off chance that Harry ever let you read it. I'm sure you've realized by now you haven't thought, or more correctly, couldn't remember the Tower until now. I'm sorry old friend, but when we suspected you as the traitor, we took you out of the wards. When I added Harry, I put you back, but you had to be told again, and the charms prevented me from doing so. Don't worry about that traitor, he can't remember the Tower._

'Hmm, well that explains that...'

_I do have something to ask of you though, look after Harry. I don't have much space left to write, but you were always the smart one and you knew me and James better than we knew ourselves sometimes, you know what I'd say to you..._

"The purpose of being alive is to live...yes, yes," Remus grinned while trying not to cry, "Oh Padfoot, you always said that, but you don't know how hard it is..."

_... And after you ignore what you know I'd say, I just have to say it again - the purpose of being alive is to live. Besides, I'm the Sirius one of the group, didn't you know?_

_Padfoot_

At the last part, Remus couldn't help but grin. 'He may say that I knew him and James better than themselves sometimes, but he always was the one who would know just what to say. Even if half the time it was lewd.'

With a smile, he whispered, "Mischief Managed" and watched as the text disappeared before folding the letter back up and placing it in the provided envelope. Harry had been right, the letter did make him feel better about his passing. Remus would have been quite content to end his foray into the past then and there, if Harry hadn't been so confusing before he left. With a tired sigh, he looked to the second parchment Harry handed him earlier. His eyes focusing in on the Potter Crest before reading through the contents.

To say that he was shocked would have been an understatement. Remus might not know much about Wills and how Executing them worked, but it was apparent to him that something went wrong in the execution. What angered him the most wasn't that he never got the house, or that he never got the money. It was that Harry was sent to the Dursleys, when he would have been more than happy to take Harry. Not that the law would have let him, but surely Albus could have gotten him at least partial custody.

Reeling with the implications of the mis-executed will, Remus never noticed the amount of time passing until the door was hesitantly opened, "Remus..."

"Harry, welcome back. I see what you mean about the will... I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed myself with all the questions..."

Harry slowly released his breath, he had been expecting the full Order to be behind the door waiting to take him back to the Dursleys. He entered the room, locking the door behind him, and sat back down next to Remus. The tea set had gotten cold, but both of them ignored it.

"Yeah, I ended up sending a letter to Gringotts. It seems the headmaster was the one who executed it, but since he still has his magic, he must have gotten around the will on technicalities. I also asked Glinhog," noticing that Remus looked a bit confused, he added, "the goblin who sent me Sirius' Will, if you were ever informed of the house, since you never mentioned it and even with my limited knowledge, I know a lot of the things listed in the will didn't happen. Well, they happened, the headmaster still has his magic, but they didn't happen like intended. They informed me that you have the deed in a vault in your name..."

"The only vault I have at Gringotts in strictly money only, I could never afford to open up and maintain a security vault. Then again, Gringotts never lies... "

"You could always check with Gringotts after we're done talking," Harry suggested before becoming a bit nervous. He loved Remus, but he still wasn't sure if trusting him was the best of plans. The Order hadn't burst through the door yet, but that didn't mean anything. Finally, his curiosity got the best of him.

"I'm sorry for this change in subject, but did you inform the Order I was here?"

Remus looked over at Harry, suddenly remembering that Harry wasn't suppose to be here, and not only that, went out in Diagon Alley without any guard, unless you counted a very odd house elf.

"The Order, Merlin! No, I forgot. Just a second..."

Harry panicked and tackled Remus, "No! Please don't!"

Shocked by Harry's aggression, he could only ask, "Why shouldn't I? Even if you say Voldemort is laying low, you could be in danger..."

Harry glared at his former professor, picking himself up, "Remus, don't make the same mistake Voldemort and the Order does! I'm not a child anymore, I'm merely weeks away from being emancipated! You of all -" However, whatever Harry was going to say was cut off as Harry stopped, collected his thoughts and counted to ten in his head. Then he calmly continued, "What I said before is the truth, but there was more that I left out. You have to swear you'll never tell the headmaster this information..."

Remus, for his part, stood a bit ashamed of himself, he didn't mean to make Harry feel like a child. It just seemed like he got into trouble a lot and he couldn't help but be a bit overprotective of him. Remus nodded for Harry to continue.

"Well, you know about the vision, and Dumbledore's letter. Well... actually, I don't think I can explain it well. In short, I think Dumbledore is using me just to defeat Voldemort."

"Now Harry, Albus made a mistake last year... you don't Honestly think he think that he's just using you like that? Maybe Snape just fed him false information to torture you," the last part being said with more than a bit of hope in the tone.

Harry shook his head, "Remus, he stuck me and Voldemort in a room and let us fight it out when I was 11 for Merlin's sake!" Seeing Remus's raised eyebrow, he continued, "The Philosopher's Stone, if there were proximity alarms, they were never checked, the door could be opened by Alohomora! The headmaster never did get the owl Hermione and Ron sent him, he just 'knew' to come back and just 'happened' to come in right after I defeat Quirrel."

"That could still be circumstances, though, that is rather fishy about the door, I know for certain he knows about the ill-intentions prevention ward. Though, the ward can be broken if the user is skilled enough. However, with the right combination, by the time they break the ward, you can have a team of Aurors there. It's a pretty standard anti-theft ward used around residences."

"Wait a minute, I didn't think I would need it this weekend." Harry then turned back to where Dobby was, "Dobby, could you get the blue notebook under the floorboards in my room at the Dursleys?"

Dobby exclaimed that he would love to before popping off. A few seconds of awkward silence passed before Dobby popped back in with the notebook. Harry took the notebook from Dobby with a word of thanks before turning back to Remus.

"This is my progress with what I believe the headmaster is doing. It would be easier then us spending the rest of the afternoon arguing over the fine points. If you still disagree with me after reading all that, then you can take me back to Privet Drive. Actually, I would prefer you would, I wouldn't want to listen to Snape and I'd rather not speak with the headmaster right now."

Remus nodded and looked at the blue notebook in his hands. Harry brushed aside any trepidation he felt and took out his new trunk's manual and started to read- He'd rather do something useful then spend the whole time worrying about Remus' conclusions.

_...The trunk comes prepared with several charms and wards you can activate and deactivate with the simple instructions. All new trunks come with the charms and wards deactivated as the first time the owner sets up the trunks' spell work, it copies the magical signature of the user so that the trunk is tied to the owner. Instructions for adding people to the trunk are on page 69._

_The most notable of the available features are the muggle-repelling spell, useful if you're staying in a muggle hotel as the cleaning staff will ignore your trunk; notice-me-not charm, useful if you're staying in a magical forest to allow low-powered magical creatures to not notice your trunk, and as such, your food; QuickMagic (tm) Shrinking and Expansion Charms, for the wizard on the move - no wand required!; ..._

The page went on to explain several other available spell works. He flipped to a random page in the spell work activation chapter and what he landed on amused Harry to no end- a ward he could activate that would warn him if there were rutabagas within 10 feet of the trunk. On the other hand, he pondered on as he flipped through the pages, he was surprised at the diversity of pre-installed wards and spell work they had available. It did give him an idea though.

Now he wouldn't have to worry about spell work on a cauldron conflicting with a potion, he could just use the room-compartment of his trunk as a small potions laboratory. That way he also wouldn't have to worry about Moody or the Dursleys finding his supplies. Though, he would have to stock up on potion supplies now to keep him occupied until his birthday, when he could work on the 'wand-waving' portion of magical studies.

Over on the other side of the room, Remus sat there reading the scribbles of thoughts and reasoning that Harry wrote in his attempts to figure everything out. The information, while a bit random, did make a lot of sense, if you wanted to look at certain things from that point of view. A large part of him wanted to believe in Dumbledore, the great Headmaster of Hogwarts, the one who allowed him to attend school, even at the risk of the other students, the defeater of Grindlewald, and the great symbol of good. Another large part of him wanted to believe Harry - The proof was tangible, after all, an unintentional misinterpretation of the will can only be taken so far before it could not be coincidence.

After a few more pages, he knew what he had to do, and so breaking Harry's thoughts, he stood up and walked over to Harry. Neither of them noticed the two strings retracting under the door.

It had been a pretty boring day. Now, normally, a boring day could be brightened with their patented "Day Brightener Kit", but even they did not want to risk running into false advertising, so they left the kit in their storeroom and decided that they would leave for the day - There had to be better entertainment opportunities outdoors and it wasn't like their clerk couldn't handle anything.

So, the two went to their rooms, donned their cloaks, ready to fight the dullness of the day with their upcoming product, "EyeSpy". After all, they did need to test their products before they went on the market, which only further cemented the idea that they shouldn't be stuck in their shop for the day.

Once on the streets, they delighted in using their new product. They were a pair of binoculars designed to see through glamour charms, which most wizards and witches used for superficial issues, such as unseemly warts and embarrassing birthmarks. The two had made them with a certain muggle game in mind - I Spy. Only, to their estimation, their version was much better. One twin would spy something with the glasses while the other had to guess who they were spying.

"I Spy with my EyeSpy someone who has a birthmark in the shape of a tooth on their right cheek"

"The witch in the red and orange robes?"

"Nope"

"The wizard staring in lust at the witch in the red and orange robes?"

"Nope"

So the two played. Eventually the guesser, who happened to be named George, got the correct answer (The witch with the singed eyebrows) and was given control of the EyeSpy binoculars. He searched around, looking for the perfect query. 'Wart on the tip of nose... too easy, pimples ... nah, Lightning Bolt on forehead...' George froze for a second, before lowering the binoculars, wiping his eyes, before looking through them again.

"Blimey, it is," muttered George before handing the binoculars to his twin, "Do you see what I see, brother mine?"

Curiously, Fred looked through the binoculars at the man walking away from the Travel Shop, "I do see. I wonder what Harrikins is up to."

"As do I, Shall we," asked George, extending his arm for Fred, who took it in his own, "We shall," and off the two crept behind Harry, following him all the way to the Leaky Cauldron. It was safe to say that their previously boring day was turning to be much more exciting.

Once they reached the door they saw Harry enter, they slowly crept up to the door and withdrew their extendable ears and slowly eased them under the door and past the privacy wards.

_"...he must have gotten around the will on technicalities. I also asked Glinhog..."_ The two listened to the conversation, some things they didn't understand, but what really sparked their attention was when Harry spoke, "..._I think Dumbledore is using me just to defeat Voldemort..."_ By the time they started to retract the ears, they had a lot to think about as they crept away from the door and made their way to their shop. For their part, they weren't going to tell anybody that they saw Harry, but some of the seemingly innocent things going around Hogwarts seemed to take a much darker turn. At the very least, their earlier boredom was replace by a rather somber and serious mood.

Harry watched Remus as he walked towards him, the resolve apparent in each step he took. He grinned in delight when Remus spoke, "Well, cub, there isn't much else to say then I support you in this. Now, before you get cocky, I do want to say that I will report you missing if you're not back at Privet Dr. by my shift on Monday, which incidently doesn't start until 8 PM."

Before Remus could continue, Harry cut in, "Why?"

"For starters, I do trust you, that's why I'm not going to say anything about today or tomorrow. You should be able to finish your business by then. But it wouldn't be good for me to be missing from Headquarters everyday, and they'd certainly ask questions after they tailed me and saw you, and you know Moody would be able to see through that glamour..."

"Oh yeah," Harry smacked his forehead. He had forgotten about the glamour again, "Do..Agent Socks, can you take the glamour off?"

"Yes, Master Agent Seeker, sir! Agent Socks is on the job," replied Dobby and with a snap the glamour was gone.

"Do I want to know," asked a bemused Remus. Harry stifled a laugh before replying, "Probably not."

"I see, I was only planning to be back by Monday afternoon anyways, and Dobby will be here, so you don't have to worry, he'll take me back to Privet Dr. if I'm attacked."

Remus glanced at his watch and grimaced, "I should probably make it back to my apartment, I know Albus had intentions of checking in on me today. I have to admit I've been a bit reclusive since Padfoot died. We can talk again on Monday, I'll also make some subtle inquiries, while what you have is somewhat convincing, I have a personal stake in all this. If you want to get others to believe you, you'll need more concrete evidence."

The two hugged, and gave their farewells until Monday and then Remus left. Once again, Harry was in his room, alone with Dobby and with a to-do list that seemed to be a mile long. He was happy in the knowledge that somebody else supported him with this, even if all he was doing was sneaking away from Privet Dr. for a few days and then laying low until he was emancipated, but it still felt good. Going back to his bag, he took out his clothes from earlier and changed back into them, putting on his sunglasses and hat, after all, even magical eyes couldn't see through that. He carefully folded his robes and placed them on his bed and was halfway out the door when his stomach grumbled.

After a hearty meal, Harry headed back out on Diagon Alley with his companion following him invisibly at his side, or at least Harry hoped he was there. His first stop for the afternoon would be The Apothecary. With his new plans about the last compartment, he decided they would be his first priority.

They entered the dark smelly shop and Harry was suddenly overwhelmed by the amount of ingredients available. In his past trips, he would have always gone up to the counter and asked for a supply pack for the year, he had never really looked beyond the counter except that first year when he was rather curious. Then there was the fact that he wasn't sure how much of everything he would need. He was in need of help and wished dearly that Hermione was there, or, if it were possible, a personality changed Snape.

Luckily for him, the clerk for the shop was working towards his mastery in potions and was knowledgeable in what sort of supplies Harry would need. He was first dragged over to the kit section, where he was advised to take one of each, if he were truly looking to review everything he knew, as well as learn more. Putting Kits for Hogwarts Years 1 through 7 in his shopping cauldron, as well as "The First Aid Potions Kit", "Commonly Needed Potion Ingredients Kit", and "Potions Apprentice" kits for the first three levels (After level three you were expected to be able to pick out and stock your own ingredients).

The next section he was dragged through was the storage and accessories area as the clerk said, "For their schooling, the students are only given ingredients to work with that don't have many storage requirements and anything dangerous or reactive to light is usually provided by the school. Since you're going to be self-studying, I'd recommend buying one of our Ingredient Storage Devices and with the amount of ingredients you'll be needing, our selection of Ingredient Cabinets would be your best bet. I personally own the top of the line X230 myself. It's a dream, There's a big shelving area that will hold all your common ingredients that don't have storage requirements as well as inner Cabinets with all the specifications required for any ingredient. While the price is a bit steep, it is worth it in the end. But if you're not up to that..." and the clerk went on to show their other cabinet options. In the end, much to the clerks delight, who he found out was named Adam, he bought an X230 in a light cedar finish. Before Adam started on describing the various Potions Storage Devices, he just asked for Adam's recommended cabinet and bought one in a matching light cedar finish.

The next thing Adam had him stock up on was vials, lots and lots of vials in every size, shape, and material possible. Then they finally got to the fresh ingredients. An hour later, and what seemed to be hundreds, if not thousands, of ingredients later, Harry walked out with his purchases shrunken in a large box. He asked Dobby to quickly deposit it in his room at the Leaky Cauldron while he finished talking to Adam. Adam, for his part, was a nice man and offered his assistance if Harry needed any help with his Potions Work. Harry gladly accepted it and made a mental note to owl Adam if he had any questions. Once Dobby returned, they left the shop and went onto their next store of the day - Flourish & Blotts.

His shopping trip through the store wasn't as long as he thought it would be after a kind sales assistant noticed him taking book after book off the shelf, and as the booklists hadn't come out yet, it was rather unusual.

"Sir, I noticed you're in the market for a large selection of books," the assistant, who, according to the name tag, was named Katie. At Harry's nod, she continued, "Well, we have a very good bulk order service catalogue, all you would have to do is send an owl, or house elf, with your order and we can have it shipped and sent to you within 24 hours. Best of all, the catalogue is self updating, so you don't have to keep coming and going. Are you interested?"

Harry thought for a moment, he could look through the catalogue once it got too dark outside and the shops closed and it would save him time. "That sounds brilliant, how about we tally up these books and then I'll work on my order tonight. Thank you, you've saved me loads of time."

Katie just blushed before Harry left for the counter to purchase his books, he had only gotten about 10 books, before Katie had intercepted him, all of them were about the Magical Community. The title that particularly interested him was "A Complete and Concise Directory of Magical Charities", which had profiles on all the Magical Charities available. With a thank you to Katie, he put his shrunken purchases, plus catalogue, into his bag when the idea struck him - If Flourish & Blotts had a catalogue, other stores could have them too.

With that thought in mind, he ran back to the Apothecary, where Adam gladly gave him on of their Catalogue. A slight grin crossed his face as he entered store after store asking if they had catalogues. By the time it started to get dark, Harry was laden down with catalogues and was worn out from running from shop to shop, but in the end, he had gotten catalogues from every shop on Diagon Alley that had them, even Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. He had thought it was some great luck of his that the twins weren't in that day, he wasn't sure he could handle anybody else's questions for the day and the twins, he was sure, would be masters at spotting disguises, even if it was non-magical.

A quick dinner later, Harry was in his room with his Flourish & Blotts catalogue open in front of him. The time passed quickly to Harry, as he marked what he wanted in various catalogues and it wasn't until it was close to midnight that Dobby forced him to stop looking at the Quality Quidditch Supply catalogue and go to sleep.

* * *

**Story Notes:**

QuickMagic (tm) - In this universe, any item that has wandless spell capabilities (such as 'touch the rock and say 'expand' and the rock will grow' type things) is the work of the QuickMagic people, who are making millions of galleons off their spell patent. How it works is that first, the user has to perform the charm themselves and the subsequent use of the QuickMagic will only be of the quality you put into it. So you can't mass produce rocks that shoot off the patronus or something, they can only work with you/your magic. Then, after the initial programming, spell, it'll act sort of like a wand and just perform it on itself given the correct activation key. It also only works for simple spells, as it isn't really a wand and so it can't tap into your magic as well as a wand can. The only good thing about QuickMagic is that since it doesn't use a wand, it doesn't set off the underage alarms unless the magic is seen by a Muggle (who isn't approved to know about the Wizarding World).

Thanks Fuzzball2000, I caught myself before when I switched their names, but I must have missed that.

**Next Chapter: Catch Me If You Can**

- Saturday & Sunday rolled into one Chapter (as well as the beginning of Monday), after 3 Chapters for Friday, the change in pace should be nice.

- Armed with Catalogues, Harry finds himself with a bit too much time on his hand, It's a good thing he bought that book on Magical Communities...


	9. Catch Me If You Can

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything, not making money off of it, etc.

* * *

**Chapter 9: Catch Me If You Can**

The sun cracked through the windows right in to the eyes of the sleeping teen. Harry rolled over and groaned. He was having a rather nice dream and was intent on doing back to sleep until a rather bubbly house elf's voice broke through his current thoughts.

"Harry, sir! You're awake! I haves your breakfast!"

Harry just moaned again before deciding to face the day. After taking a nice long shower and getting dressed, he noted the rather late hour, well, late for him. It had to be nearly noon. After having a nice English Breakfast, Harry put on his shoes and the rest of his disguise and sat down on the edge of his bed with all the catalogues that he had marked the night before. He tapped the top of each catalogue while saying "Order Finished" and watched as the catalogues spit out a completed order form.

Harry gathered them all together and sealed them before handing them to Dobby. "Dobby, would you mind giving these to the shop owners? I'll stay here and look through this book," he said, holding up his Trunk Manual. Dobby quickly agreed and a few minutes later, he was back.

"The owners tells Dobby, Harry sir, that they'll have the orders delivered here todays," the elf said with a grin.

"Brilliant," Harry said, adding a bit under his breath, "now I just have to figure out if I can do a bit of magic without anybody knowing." At this, the elf grinned.

"Harry Potter, sir, if Dobby could help, I could do magics," said Dobby, bouncing on his toes. Harry looked at the house elf and gave an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry, Dobby, but I have to do the magic, it's for the trunk."

The house elf frowned before breaking out into another grin, "Master Harry Sir! Yous magic is only traced in the British Ministry's Area!"

"I can't just leave the country for a few hours, Dobby, I'm pretty sure international travel for minors is regulated or something. Besides the fact that Dumbledore would have access to any Ministry records I produce before my birthday..."

The house elf adopted a most mischievous grin, "Yes, but Gringotts is owned and operated on its owns."

Harry just looked at the house elf with a raised eyebrow before it clicked. Gringotts wasn't within the Ministry's control. In fact, if he remembered correctly, Gringotts could be technically called its own independent nation, since it was outside of both Muggle and Magical Law. That was why Gringotts was allowed to deal with theft as they saw fit.

"You're brilliant, Dobby, I hope you know that," and with that, Harry grabbed his shrunken trunk, put it in his pocket, while Dobby took his previous purchases and they went along to Gringotts.

A half hour (and about a thousand galleons in ... incentives) later, Harry had an official permit to use 'underage' magic with in Gringotts as long as he was within one of their deluxe meeting rooms (named such for their price tag of 25 galleons an hour). He was within one of those 'deluxe' meeting rooms at the moment with the trunk in front of him. After an hour of activating the various wards he thought would be useful, he turned to the last compartment of the trunk. Though all but the first three compartments were hidden from view, he could still see the markings on the trunk he was suppose to press in order to access that part of the trunk.

Once inside the compartment, he brought down the potion supplies he had purchased earlier and started to un-shrink everything. Against the wall opposite of the portal which would allow him to exit the trunk, he put the potion ingredient cabinet in the left hand corner. In the right hand corner of that wall, he put the potions storage cabinet. He figured he would need to get a table to put between the two, with a working sink. Turning back to the wall with the portal, he transfigured some of the discarded packaging into hooks where he could hang a few cloaks or aprons.

The next task would be to store all the potions ingredients. While Adam had informed him that the ingredients could last up to a week before the stasis charms on them would stop protecting them from hostile environments, the sooner they were in the proper storage device, the better. Luckily, all the ingredients were already labeled, though in the store packaging. He would have to write his own labels for the shelf, take the ones in bags and put them into more stable containers, and figure out his own system for arranging them at a later date.

Doing all he could do at the time, he left the trunk and shrunk it. He then pocketed the trunk and then he and Dobby left Gringotts. Today would be the most tiring of his days, after all, he did have to buy a brand new wardrobe. With a sigh, he looked at the alley before him. It wasn't like he could go to Madam Malkins, he wasn't going to take the chance of running into somebody he knew, or the chance of her being a gossiper. However, there were no more clothing stores, besides the second hand shops, that carried clothing, and he didn't want to even contemplate secondhand underwear. That left only one option though.

Making sure his hat and glasses were on correctly, Harry headed off to the opening of Knockturn Alley. Suppressing a shiver, he took a few tentative steps into the Alley before finding what he was looking for in a shop named 'Vasons' that had displays of animated mannequins posing in different robes. A few quickened steps later, he was in the door and what he saw was rather surprising. Not only did it carry robes, it seemed to have a rather nice muggle clothing selection.

The clerk, with a smirk plastered on her face, walked over to Harry. "Surprising, eh?"

Harry jumped and turned to the person, "Wha? Erm, right. It is rather surprising. I though Knockturn Alley's stores would be... different."

"Nah, that stuff starts a bit more down, the first 10 stores are all pretty decent, then you hit Borgins and Burkes and everything past there starts to go downhill. My name is Veronica, can I help you with anything?"

Harry looked around the store, "Well, I wouldn't claim to be a fashion expert, but I am looking for some new clothes. Could you point me to the mens section?"

The selection there was incredible. Harry decided to start with the muggle half of the mens department, as he had the most knowledge of what to get there. He loaded up on boxers, sweats, slacks, and jeans. The amount of clothing he had in his hands from those alone were more than he ever had before. He then headed over to the socks section and got a selection of socks that were nice and warm, and best of all, not old and holey. His favorite section was the shirts. He selected a few turtlenecks, polos, and sweaters before looking through their selection of T-shirts. He got a few that alluded to Quidditch and Gryffindor before getting a few more 'muggle' ones.

Once he finished putting all his 'muggle' clothing into a never ending basket, he went over to the pre-made Wizarding robes. He first went through the casual section and picked out a few plain robes (in black, forest green, maroon, and midnight blue) before getting to the dressier robes. He had loved the ceremonial robe and wanted a few more robes he could wear in case he had any important events he had to go to as the Head of the Houses of Potter and Black.

By the time he was done in the clothing shop, he was midway into the afternoon, and while he had a late breakfast, he was getting hungry and decided to head off to lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. Once there, he ordered some Fish and Chips. Not really feeling like he wanted to go back to his room, he sat in a corner booth and just watched the people around him while he ate. It was amazing to watch the world when they weren't watching him. A mother was holding onto a small child while her slightly older son dragged her towards the back exit exclaiming about the new practice brooms available at Quality Quidditch Supplies. An older gentleman was laughing with his buddies talking about what sounded to be a mishap in the Department of Magical Transportation involving a broomstick and their supervisor. Harry wasn't quite sure he wanted to know.

His blissful snooping ended when two blondes walked into the inn. With identical smirks on their face, they walked over to Harry's booth and took a seat.

"Well Well, if it isn't Mr. Potter..."

Harry raised his eyebrow before squinting at the pair, eyeing the familiar faces. Then, with a hint of disbelief, he whispered, "Fred? George?"

The blond duo's smirks, if possible, grew wider, "Yep, How do you--"

"--Like our Blond Blondies?"

"They just came out--"

"--Only 4 sickles for a two pack."

Harry couldn't help but laugh at them before turning a bit serious. Before he could question them, one of them started to talk again.

"Don't worry Harrikins"

"We're not going to snitch on you"

"Besides, we'd like to help you"

"Yeah, if you need anything this summer, feel free to owl us."

"Don't worry, we'll slip the items to Professor Lupin"

"And he'll be able to give them to you"

Harry just sat gobsmacked. Were the twins more perceptive than he had been during the years? The possibility was there.

"Oh Brother Mine, I do believe we've broken him"

"Well, we did need a tester for the Gender Changing Gum..."

The twin adopted a contemplating pose, "Hmm, his mouth is open..."

Harry snapped out of it, "What?"

"Oh, wouldn't it be a brilliant joke? Hand one of the gum-chewing gossips a stick and then they spend the next hour as the opposite gender"

"I don't know what to say? Thanks. I'd ask how you know about all this, but I don't think I want to know," said Harry, ignoring the part about the gum, though he wouldn't mind slipping a stick to Rita Skeeter. Harry looked at his watch, "Why don't you guys join me for lunch?"

The twins agreed and soon enough they were having a lively discussion about Umbridge and which products they would love to test out on her. At the end of the discussion, Harry walked with them back to their shop before he went across the street to the Cauldron Shop. The shelves were packed with cauldrons of all sizes and makes. Picking up a never-ending shopping cauldron to hold his purchases, he started his little potions shopping spree. He already was stocked up on most of the ingredients he could ever need, now he needed a nice selection of cauldrons so he didn't have to owl-order a new one every time he wanted to make a potion that required something other than the standard pewter cauldron he bought back in his first year.

He picked up a few more standard pewter cauldrons, so he could have more than one potion going at a time, before he picked up one standard cauldron for each of the materials the store had - gold, silver, bronze, copper, crystal, and stone. He would have to read up later how each material affected the potions and why some potions required one cauldron over the others, but with his current knowledge, he figured the standard ones would be fine. The next area he went to were the accessories area where he picked up a dozen stirring rods in various materials, some more dragonhide gloves, some cleaning supplies. The last thing he needed to buy in the area were some magical flames, so he didn't have to use his wand. He ended up buying 5 adjustable cauldron flames that came with cauldron stands.

On his way up to the counter to pay, he noticed a side doorway with a sign telling Harry that it was a laboratory equipment area. Remembering his earlier thoughts, he segwayed into the room and grinned. It had everything he needed. Once in the door, he was nearly tackled by a sales person. The guy reminded him of his Uncle whenever they had guests over for dinner and he cringed.

Harry quickly shook off the salesman and picked up enough shelves to line an entire wall, as well as a few workstation tables and a counter that came with a 'No-Water Connection Required' Sink. He quickly paid for his purchases before giving them to Dobby, who quickly put them in his room at the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry then spent the rest of the time before dinner browsing through the various thrift shops in the Alley, buying things if they caught his interest. With just one shopping bag filled with a few old journals that looked interesting, he made his way to the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry and Dobby spent the rest of Saturday shifting through the delivered catalogue orders and setting up the remainder of the potions lab. A light dinner and some bedtime reading, Harry headed off into dream land.

The next day went buy rather quickly, as Harry explored Knockturn Alley during the morning, he even dared himself to go beyond what Veronica (from the clothing store) had told him were the safe shops. The only purchases he was really excited about were the vision correcting glasses and the Mind Protection arm band. The glasses claimed that when you wore the glasses, they would adjust and tap into your magic to help heal your vision. According to the sales lady, she estimated that with his power, that he wouldn't need to wear the glasses after 3 months, though he could if he wanted to, but he wouldn't need to wear them. The Mind Protection arm band he found in a shop that didn't have a name, though it looked a bit shady, Harry decided that it had looked safer than Borgins and Burkes. It claimed that it would prevent Legilmens from being able to access your mind though eye contact, anything stronger and it wouldn't help, but Harry had figured that the headmaster wouldn't have the guts to actually cast the Legilmens spell on him. It turns out it use to be a training tool at the Auror Academy to get the fledgling Aurors use to the feeling of blocking low-level Legilmens. The other 'safe' shops had turned out to be a few restaurants, the eye wear shop, another thrift shop, an independent mediwizard clinic (it looked to be for those who didn't want their injuries reported to the Ministry), an appliance shop, and a jewelry shop. It wasn't any wonder why he felt encouraged to go a bit deeper into the alley, after all the build up, what was available was a bit... disappointing.

Sunday afternoon found Harry lying on his bed staring at the ceiling, he couldn't believe he didn't have anywhere else to go, and he was technically still 'free' for another day. While it was true the longer he stayed away from Privet Dr, the higher the chance that he would be caught, but he had been doing fine so far, and really, who would want to go back early? 'Maybe I'll just stay here tomorrow until I go back, at the very least I'll be able to drink butterbeer... Plus I could brew a quick potion and test out the equipment. Or I could read without the Dursleys breaking my peace...'

Harry's eyes diverted to the pile of books he hadn't gotten to the previous night that still had to be entered into his trunk. It was something to do, so Harry got started. A while later, Harry had almost finished the pile when his eyes looked across a title he hadn't thought about since he bought it, _The Big Book of Magical Communities_. 'Hmm, maybe I won't need to stay here tomorrow After all...' the thought went through his mind as he opened up the book.

Harry immediately opened to the Chapter on Shopping Districts. Out of curiosity, he looked at the pages for Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley. He couldn't help but chuckle at the description of Knockturn Alley, 'A wonderful alley with many unconventional stores... Indeed, and Voldemort's Death Eaters are an alternative government revolution'

He turned the page and then smiled, it seemed that Diagon and Knockturn Alley weren't the only Magical Shopping Districts in England, and this one looked like it would be interesting to visit.

..._Elegiac Alley is a small shopping district in Ireland that caters to those looking for a selection of magical muggle technology. There are only three shops, located in an isolated community of squibs. Established in 1576, it's named after the man who opened the first shop there, Ulric Elegiac..._

The page went on to list the history of the alley as well as the establishments that have made the alley it's home. It sounded like it would be worthwhile to check out, and so Harry made a mental note to go back to the Travel Shop and see if he could get a portkey to the alley.

Before Harry knew it, it was Monday morning. He had spent the remainder of Sunday packing up everything and making sure he didn't forget anything. Doing a once over of the room, Harry slipped his trunk into his pocket and left the room. He settled his tab with Tom the barkeep over breakfast. Once finish, he made for the Travel Shop, where he purchased several portkeys. Due to the fact that the portkeys were monitored by the Ministry, he had them accredited to 'Black Family' which was less likely to be watched than 'Harry Potter'.

On his way out of the Travel Shop, Harry encountered his first real problem of his entire trip, he saw Albus Dumbledore making his way down the Alley towards the Travel Shop - It seems the 'Black Family' was just as closely monitored by the Headmaster as 'Harry Potter' was. Harry scowled at his stupidity and grabbed a random portkey out of his bag before he whispered, "I don't know"... It seems the saleslady had a sense of humor and after Harry replied "I don't know" to her question of what to set the activation phrase to, she made the activation phrase 'I don't know'. Harry had, prior to that incident, requested that all the portkeys have the same activation phrase, so he wouldn't have to remember a dozen passwords. So, in all actuality, Harry had no clue where he would end up.

Carefully, Harry opened his eyes after falling onto the ground and looked around him. He paled when he saw where he had ended up - Hogsmeade. In the distance, Hogwarts was regally standing. The thought passed though his mind that he could take this opportunity to sneak into Hogwarts and check out the Marauders' Tower, but in the end he decided he would have to do that when he had a better escape route than a random portkey. Seconds later, an angry house elf popped up next to Harry.

Paling a bit, Harry tried placating him, "Sorry Dobby, I had to get out of there, Dumbledore was heading right towards me, I think he knows that, at least for today, I left my relative's house." The house elf just glared at him and started to mumble, "Dobby should be taking Harry Potter back home, disappearings withouts telling Dobby."

After a few more rounds of "sorry, I won't do it again" convinced Dobby to let Harry stay. After all, what better place to lay low for a few hours than Hogsmeade, it would be the last place the headmaster would look.

Under his disguise, Harry spent an enjoyable time at the familiar shops of Hogsmeade, even getting a few catalogues from the shops before having a nice lunch at The Three Broomsticks. The town seemed more peaceful without all his classmates running about and he had a nice time imagining what it would be like to live there, though, in the end the vision of the Headmaster trying to invite himself over for tea everyday ruined the image and he made he way outside the bar to find that a large portion of the Hogwarts staff that were also in the Order seemed to be combing the town.

'Seems my hiding place has been found,' and no sooner than Harry thought that, the headmaster made his appearance once again.

"Mr. Potter! What do you think you're doing here? You're suppose to be at home," the headmaster started on Harry, the twinkle in his eyes wasn't there and even a few of the order members were shocked at how much the headmaster was scolding Harry. In their folly, though, they placed it on the headmaster caring greatly for the young boy and that his worry was driving him to overreact. Harry was obviously okay and they chalked it up to being a teenager wanting to escape from his house arrest for a few hours.

For the headmasters part, he had been a bit worried about Harry. Once he had received a note that the Black Family was purchasing portkeys, he rushed to the shop, there were only three people alive who would be able to make that claim, one was more likely to buy them under Malfoy, the second a Death Eater, and the third shouldn't even know of his connection to the Black Family. So when he saw a figure that couldn't be the first two, he knew it had to have been Harry. Then that figure disappeared. The thoughts had rushed through his head 'Did Harry know about Sirius' Will? Was he breaking away from him? What if...' and before he could drown himself with possible scenarios, he went into the Travel Shop and got a listing of the Portkeys that were made before he signaled for an Order Meeting. At the Meeting, they had divided the search up and now that he had Harry almost in his reach, he wanted answers.

Harry whispered to the house elf, "Dobby, I'm going to do another portkey, then we can call the Knight Bus and go home, okay". Since Dobby was currently invisible, he felt a tug at his pants as a confirmation. Harry pulled out another random portkey and said the phrase, only to be blocked by an Anti-Portkey Ward. Harry cringed on the inside, this wasn't going to be good.

"I hope you have a good explanation for all this. The Order has been looking everywhere for you, you could have been kidnaped by Death Eaters," the headmaster continued. Harry panicked and whispered to Dobby, "Dobby, I hope you can do this, if you can't, that's okay too, but can you take me back to Privet Dr.?"

With a flash, Harry was at the front door of Number 4 Privet Dr. Harry quickly made his way inside, only to be faced with three Dursleys.

Back in Hogsmeade, the Headmaster took a step back, he had placed the portkey ward up himself, he didn't want Harry escaping like he had at Diagon Alley. He cast several diagnostic spells and couldn't find out how Harry had escaped. After a quick conference, he learned that Harry had returned back to Privet Drive shortly after he disappeared from Hogsmeade. This calmed the headmaster down, after all, if the boy were truly rebelling against him, he wouldn't have gone back to Privet Drive. He passed the adventure off as Harry letting off steam by taking a vacation. He would write the boy a letter and demand an explanation for his use of the Black Family's name as well as increase security measures, after all, we couldn't have him running off again. The headmaster left the Order to go about their business as he returned to Hogwarts, he had some plans to make.

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**Next Chapter: Prank 'n Plot-ters**

- After a nice exciting weekend, Harry is back at Privet Dr and awaiting an appointment with Remus.  
- Hmm, not to mention that Harry's got mail from Dumbledore...  
- Ah, and the Marauders' Tower will make its appearance in Ch 12.


	10. Prank 'N Plotters

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything, not making money off of it, etc.

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**Chapter 10: Prank 'n Plot-ters**

The Dursleys, Kings of Normality, at least, in their minds, were collected around Petunia's favorite tea set for an afternoon tea. It had been a long time since Petunia had the chance to have a nice tea with the family. Either Vernon would be working or that... abomination, to put it politely, would manage to ruin anything from making the weather too nice and her ickle Dudley would be compelled to be out to leaving a speck of grim on the floor, which obviously offset the mood.

With a pleasant smile, they discussed various topics. Or rather, Petunia and Vernon discussed while Dudley made sure that no biscuit felt ignored from lack of being eaten. The conversation was turned to the delightful little vacation Vernon had managed to procure for them, as it had been the lumbering man's wit and cunning that had gotten them such a prized vacation. It had been such a long time since they were able to vacation, they hadn't had such a long vacation since before the freak had come to live with them. After all, they didn't wish ill on the neighborhood and according to that freak Bubblydoor they were the only people who could suppress his magic enough that he wouldn't destroy the world. Oh, the things they did for the world.

Their delightful little tea party ended abruptly when the subject of their musings appeared out of nowhere, landing on Petunia's tea set. The tea set shattered and poured tea and biscuit crumbs all over the floor.

With expressions that could be called less than friendly, the Dursleys looked over at the bane of their existence.

Harry, for his part, once he noticed where he landed quickly scrambled away from the mess. One look at his relatives faces left him in no doubt of how sour the day had become. First Dumbledore, then the Dursleys. Had he been a Dark Lord, the D section of the telephone book would be next on his 'To Be Obliterated' list. However, Harry was not a Dark Lord, and so with a gulp, he quickly procured the vacation package and money from his shopping bag. He had put them in there before he had left the Leaky Cauldron and was glad he had. He doubted the Dursleys would have allowed him the time needed to dig them out of his obviously magical trunk.

His face quickly turning purple, Vernon clenched the papers in his hand before pointing at the stairwell. "Go, just Go" he gritted out. By this time, Petunia was leaning over her prized tea set, it's sudden worth expanding greatly as she mourned each piece as it were given to her by the Queen herself. Dudley for his part was just glaring at Harry, like he normally did.

Beating a hasty retreat, Harry rushed up the stairs, taking two at a time, until he was safely in his room. Leaning against the back of the closed door, Harry slumped down and caught his breath. Of all the placed Dobby appeared, it had to be in the living room, and it had to have been on his Aunt's tea set. 'The only thing missing to complete this day would be Dumbledore,' Harry thought bitterly.

No sooner than the thought pass did Fawkes once again show up in all his brilliance, clutching a piece of parchment. With a sight and a mental curse to the fates, Harry lifted himself off the ground and untied the letter from Fawkes. Not even caring to look at it, he threw the letter on his desk. Fawkes seemed to be in no hurry of leaving, and perched on Harry's shoulder, rubbing his head against Harry in a silent request to be allowed to stay.

Harry absentmindedly pet Fawkes as Fawkes preened under the attention. Soon enough, Fawkes glided over to Hedwig and the Gringott's owl, leaving Harry standing. A sudden movement in the corner of his eyes alerted him to the fact that he wasn't alone. He quickly swung around and in mid stride paused, causing him to nearly fall.

"D-Dobby? I thought you left already! Did you need something?," a shocked Harry stumbled out. Dobby turned beet red and fidgeted with his foot. If Harry didn't know any better, he would have thought Dobby was about to ask him out or something. 'At least... I hope he isn't," Harry thought with a bit of apprehension.

"Dobby was wondering," Dobby finally managed to get out before getting quiet and, if possible, turning a deeper shade of red.

"Yes, Dobby, you were wondering...," Harry prompted, getting a bit more nervous.

As if Death Eaters were on his tail, Dobby quickly stumbled out, "WouldHarryPotterSirLikeDobbyToBeHisHouseElf?" Once he managed to get it out, Dobby squeaked before popping out, leaving Harry standing there pretty much dumb struck.

'Hold on and wait a bit, what did he say? Wouldha Rotter Sirloin Dobby Toby His How Self? Wait...that can't be right," Harry mentally went over the phrase a few more times in his head before he finally got the gist of Dobby's statement.

"Dobby!," Harry called out and then waited. "Maybe he suddenly got busy?" he rationalized to himself. He waited. "Oh, I'm sure he's on his way." Then he waited some more. Soon enough fifteen minutes had passed and so, he thought to try again, "Dobby! Could you come here?"

This time it only took 5 minutes before Dobby peaked out from inside of Harry's wardrobe, squeaking when he saw Harry and ducking back inside. 'Honestly, you'd think I was about to give him matched socks or something.'

Using a gentler tone, Harry tried one more time, "Dobby, I'd be honored if you'd be my House Elf. Though, I don't know how that would really work, I could pay you." Dobby shyly got out of the wardrobe before throwing himself on Harry, "Oh thank you! Dobby doesn't need paying, Dobby gets to be a Potter House Elf!"

Harry, understandably, was a bit shocked. Though, being shocked could be attributed to the sudden arrival of a dozen or so House Elves. As if they practiced, all the house elves bowed at Harry before one walked up.

"Master Harry, I is being Fred. I am the Head Elf of the Potter Estates. Dobby tells us you wanted to meet us?" said Fred.

Harry suddenly remembered the promised meeting with the Potter House Elves before smiling. "Yes, if that's alright with you."

For the next hour, Harry was introduced to the Potter House Elves. Fred, like he said, was the Head Elf of the Potter Estates. Besides him, there were Shaggy, Scooby, Doo, Velma, and Daphne. Shaggy was in charge of Godric's Hollow, Scooby and Doo were twin elves in charge of Potter Castle, Evan's House was under the management of Velma, and Daphne was in charge of Merlin's Hut. Behind them were ten more elves, including Dobby. Fred introduced those as Bruce, Wayne, Peter, Parker, Clark, Kent, Betty, Matt, and Murdock. They managed the rest of the Potter Properties along with the support staff. They spent most of that time getting Harry acquainted with the estates. In the end, Harry decided to move into Potter Castle once he was emancipated.

Before long, all the house elves, sans Dobby, left and Harry felt pretty good with himself. Looking at the clock, he still had a few more hours before Remus would arrive and so he looked at his trunk, it seems like now would be the perfect time to play with his trunk some more. As he put down and unshrunk his new trunk and moved it near his old, he heard Hedwig start to hoot up a storm. Turning around, he noticed that not only Hedwig, but the Gringotts owl were scowling and 'yelling' at Fawkes, who had a mischievous smirk on his beak. Harry just shook his head, he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

The hours passed fairly quickly as Harry transferred the contents of his old trunk into his new trunk. Not wanting to get a citation for underage magic, Harry just decided to store the old trunk, unshrunken, in his new potion's lab. Getting up, he checked on his patient, who was doing much better, to Hedwig's delight, and cleaned up her tray. Somewhere in the time Harry had been unpacking, Fawkes had left.

Before he knew it, there was a soft knock on the door. Harry swung the door open to great the open air. A look of confusion crossed his face before understanding hit and he opened his door wide before closing it.

"Okay Moony, you can take the cloak off now."

"Thanks cub, how did your weekend go? No need to talk about the end of it though, I ended up having to search Elegiac Alley for you. Dreadfully sad place, though very useful for Mugics."

Harry told Remus all about his weekend, even showing him the trunk and his new potion's lab. "I figure this would be the best cross between the Traveling Potion Master's Trunk. Even though that was only a three compartment and only really held finished potions and ingredients...and the Scholar's Trunk." Remus nodded, the trunk was rather impressive, even if it would take half his yearly salary to buy. 'Unless I just used a fraction of the money Sirius gave me...speaking of which," Moony thought as a dark scowl crossed his face.

Harry gave an inquiring look to Remus. Remus just sighed and just said four words in explanation, "I went to Gringotts." Harry just nodded his head, it was a good explanation, but curiosity prompted him to inquire further, "And...?"

"I've been the proud owner of Security Vault 1685. In the years it's been inactive, the galleons have nearly doubled. And yes, the deed to 17 Vincent Ct. is in there." Harry crossed over to Remus and hugged him, who gladly hugged him back. "I know I said I believed you cub, but just seeing the vault made it real."

"I know, Moony, I know. I hardly want to believe it myself. If I had to make a guess, you're not the only one with secret unknown vaults at Gringotts."

"I could discreetly tell people to check Gringotts," started Remus, pondering how to fix this.

"No, Dumbledore would find out and then we'd both be in trouble. He went through a lot of trouble to keep this from both of us, I don't think I want to know what he'd do if he learned we found out."

"True, the man has eyes and ears everywhere. Even further then we suspect. After all, the entire order doesn't know where headquarters are. Before the war ended the first time, the membership was in the hundreds."

Harry nodded, "Who knows who has rejoined since Voldemort has reappeared."

After spending some time trading ideas back and forth, they finally decided to let Gringotts do the work for them. They composed the letter together and bribed Hedwig into delivering the letter, after all, the last trip she took, she didn't get injured. When Harry pointed this out, Remus scowled.

"The Gringott's owl showed up battered and burned? I can't believe he put up a mail ward without your knowledge!"

"A what?" Harry was confused, but whatever it was, it didn't sound good.

"It's a ward that blocks postal owls, except those who consider the place home, from coming through. Determined birds can get through, but at great cost and danger."

They spent some more time grumbling in general about Dumbledore before Harry's stomach gave out a growl. Remus chuckled, "Hungry much, cub?" Harry just rolled his eyes and went to his trunk and pulled out a box of food, after all, he didn't really want to go downstairs to the Dursleys anytime in the next coming week.

"Would you like some.." Harry paused and glanced down at the box, "Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp and Broccoli and A Bottle of Pumpkin Juice?"

Remus smiled, "Ah, the wonders of Magic, I remember the first few weeks after we Graduated Hogwarts, the four of us practically lived off those, until Lily saw our apartment and took over. Next thing you knew her and James were married and we had a standing invitation to dinner." Remus chucked again, "Lily said we had to fend for ourselves for Lunch."

Harry smiled, "Do you have any more stories?" The two had a pleasant dinner, Remus talking about the good ol' times and Harry listening about his parents. As hard as he tried to stay awake, he fell asleep a half hour before Remus had to leave. Remus looked over at the sleeping teen and grinned before placing him into bed. He gently tucked Harry in and took one last look before sneaking out of the house with a smile on his face.

Dobby peeked out from the wardrobe after Remus left and tip toed over to the desk and took the innocent letter laying on the desk before popping and quietly as he could out of the room. He reappeared in a small room, containing about, oh, say, sixteen other house elves. While Harry had been talking with Remus, Dobby had been doing some talking of his own. The Potter Elves had been shocked with what they had learned. They had avowed then and there to help their master against Dumbledore. They quickly read through the letter, Fred scowling all the while. The first thing they'd do is accidently leave this letter in the atrium of the Daily Prophet Head Quarters. After all, House Elves weren't perfect...

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**Next Chapter: While You Were Out**

- What was happening while Harry was out on his shopping spree

- The Thrilling Continuation of Studious!Ron


End file.
